


Forget Me Not

by katzaren



Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Fluff, Kissing, references to mental illness
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-10
Updated: 2020-03-06
Packaged: 2021-01-26 15:33:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 38,615
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21376414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katzaren/pseuds/katzaren
Summary: Lizzie's the first person to remember who Hope is, but when she goes to confront Hope about it, they find themselves together in a janitor's closet...
Relationships: Hope Mikaelson/Lizzie Saltzman
Comments: 185
Kudos: 761





	1. Hope. Andrea. Mikaelson.

“Hope. Andrea. Mikaelson.”

Lizzie’s head was spinning with years of memories. Thank goodness she was already in bed. The swaying might have caused her to pass out. Again. She gripped the sheets tightly in her hands.

She could hardly believe the memories that swarmed to her, filling in the pieces to a puzzle she hadn’t realized was incomplete. But most of all she couldn’t believe she’d forgotten Hope Mikaelson of all people.

She knew without a doubt this wasn’t some fictitious memory her broken mind had fabricated. Unlike Sebastian, Hope was real. Other people saw her and had interacted with her. And Lizzie could feel the truth in the memories. The ache in her chest couldn’t be her imagination. Her mind was broken, but it couldn’t make up this level of detail, couldn’t make her feel like this. No, Hope was real and an important part of her life, of all their lives, and everyone else had forgotten.

Even Landon, that little gremlin boy. Oh, Josie was going to be pissed once Lizzie told her what she remembered. Landon would leave her for sure. I mean, who wouldn’t want to date Hope Mikaelson?

That girl was Little Miss Perfect, and everyone seemed to be drawn to her. Even Lizzie, though she pushed those thoughts to the back of her head. She had wanted to be her friend, but thanks to Josie, she’d believed Hope hated her.

The more she thought about it, the more she realized she shouldn’t tell anyone. Especially not Josie. She remembered how Josie had reacted the last time she thought Lizzie was moving in on her crush. The catalyst that ignited Lizzie’s misplaced hatred for Hope. Who knows what she’d do now, especially with how edgy she’d been lately...

No, Lizzie had to keep this to herself. At least for a little while. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t have a little fun with it.

—

The door swung open, hitting the wall with a loud bang, as Lizzie stormed through the halls of Mystic Falls High. She was wearing her “don’t mess me with me” black heels so that she towered over everyone, and her lavender dress—her power color—showed she meant business. People leaped out of her way, as they should, recognizing that she was a woman on a mission.

Hope was at the end of the hallway, leaning against a locker. She had a pastel pink shirt on, tucked into those mom jeans she wore way too much. The girl she was talking to was a stunning brunette wearing a cheerleading uniform.

Hope twirled her hair in her signature flirt move. Lizzie stopped short. Had Hope moved on already?

That stupid little princess. So she never cared that much about Landon in the first place. Gosh, he might be a thrift store hobbit, but even he didn’t deserve this. Lizzie would put an end to this, right now.

She slid between Hope and the other girl, putting on her warmest smile. “Hi, we met by that tree last night. Remember me? Lizzie Saltzman.” She held out her hand.

Hope shook it, smiling. “Of course I remember.”

“Oh, you’re the principal’s daughter,” the cheerleader said, beaming. She held out her hand. “I’m Maya Fell.”

“Uh, huh.” Lizzie looked at her hand, then flicked her gaze back to Hope, turning on the charm. “So this is a little embarrassing, but I was wondering if I could get your help with something. You’re so talented with things that are a little strange and unusual.”

That caught Hope’s attention. She leaned in close, her eyes wide with concern. “Strange and unusual. What happened?”

Lizzie glanced over at Maya, watching a flicker of nervousness cross her face. “Not that strange really,” she said. “I’ve just had this annoying song stuck in my head and thought you could help.”

Maya laughed. “Oh, girl, that’s a good one.” She looked genuinely impressed, like Lizzie had delivered the pick up line of the century.

Lizzie found it pretty amusing that Maya thought she flirting with Hope. She’d only been trying to let Hope know she wanted to talk about the demon that was stuck in her head last night. “Thanks.” She flashed Maya a polite smile, fighting back the urge to glare. Cheerleaders were so annoying.

“I’m going to leave you two alone,” Maya said gleefully. “You kids have fun.”

Lizzie rolled her eyes, a sigh escaping her lips. “Glad that one was easy to get rid of,” she muttered.

Hope grabbed her arm and dragged her into a storage closet next to the lockers. Lizzie nearly stepped on a mop in the corner. Shelves of toilet paper, soap refills, and paper towels surrounded them on three sides.

Oh crap. Had Lizzie put on a little too much charm?

“What the—”

Hope put a hand over her mouth. She stepped back slowly until they were at the back of the closet. Her eyes were on the door behind Lizzie. Oh, God. Was someone following them? Lizzie’s heart thumped in her chest, so loud she was sure Hope could hear it.

“Okay, I think it’s safe now,” Hope said at last, removing her hand. “Sorry about that.”

“It’s okay,” Lizzie said. And it was. If they were in danger, she’d rather not give them away with her fat gob. The first thing out of her mouth would have been her yelling _ what the hell are you doing? _...which definitely would have attracted attention.

“So, the demon,” Hope said, suddenly all business. “Did it leave residual traces? Are you getting memories? Flashbacks?”

Lizzie swallowed. How did she know? She lifted her chin and crossed her arms. “You could say that.”

“What did you see?” Hope stepped towards her. Her eyes were bright with curiosity, but there was something gentle to the way she moved. Lizzie realized she was ready to comfort her at a moment’s notice if the memories were unpleasant.

Touched, Lizzie began explaining the memories that came to her, how she remembered everything in flashes, but now she could fit all the pieces together. She’d been planning to mess with Hope a bit more first, but she couldn’t stop the memories from spilling out. She’d needed to tell someone.

“Oh, thank God.” Hope’s arms were around her before she’d even finished explaining.

Lizzie froze. She’d been about to reprimand Hope for not telling anyone who she was, but now she could see how broken Hope was. She was crying, a sad smile on her face, and clinging to Lizzie like her life depended on it.

“We can probably find a way to get the others to remember,” Lizzie said, hoping that would comfort her. “I mean, I got my memories back, so—”

“No.” Hope shook her head, wiping at her tears. “It’s okay. It’s enough that you remember.”

“Who else knows?”

“Just Alaric. I didn’t mean to tell him, but he recognized that we’d fought together before. I didn’t have anyone, so I ended up telling him everything.”

Lizzie nodded. Her dad was a good person to rely on. She was glad Hope had him. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like to be in a world where no one remembered her. The thought made her shiver.

“Are you okay, Lizzie?” Hope asked, touching her hand.

“What? I’m fine.” Lizzie snatched her hand away, then regretted it once she saw Hope’s disappointed expression. She tucked her hair behind her ear. “You’re the one I should be asking. How are you?”

Hope shrugged, her eyes downcast. “I’m holding up pretty well, all things considered. Maya and her brother Ethan have been good friends to me so far.”

“Why don’t you come back to the Salvatore school?”

Hope’s expression flickered between regret and misery. “Maybe eventually, but right now it would be too painful.”

“Landon’s a dickwad.” Lizzie lifted her hands at Hope’s expression. “What? It’s true. Forgetting you is no excuse for moving on so quickly.”

Hope smiled, her eyes sparkling. “You do say the most peculiar things sometimes.”

“Um, when did you turn into a fortune cookie? You’re being weird.” Lizzie fiddled with the tassels on her sleeves.

Hope giggled. “You don’t hide your embarrassment very well.”

Lizzie scoffed, royally offended. “I’m not embarrassed. What? I’m not. It’s just been a while since we’ve talked, and I forgot how weird you can be.”

“Who’s Sebastian?”

Lizzie was caught off guard by the question. “How do you know about that?”

“Something you mentioned at the tree. You said ‘Sebastian isn’t real.’ Tell me about it.”

“Why would I do that?”

Hope shrugged, pursing her lips, her brow arched in that annoying look she always gave Lizzie. “Because you need to talk to someone about it, and I doubt Josie has been giving you much attention since she started dating Landon.”

Lizzie laughed, grimacing. “Well, you’ve got that right. She always disappears off the face of the earth when she gets in a relationship.”

Hope was still wearing that pleading look. So open and honest, like she really wanted to hear what Lizzie had to say. No way could she resist that…

“Ugh, fine. He’s just this guy I saw at the Old Mill, and then we went on a date and Milton recorded us. Except it was just me. So my crazy brain conjured a perfect, sexy boyfriend for me because I’m just so Goddamn lonely. It’s pathetic, I know. You don’t have to rub it in.”

“I wouldn’t,” Hope said. “Are you sure he isn’t real? Just because you’re the only one who can see him doesn’t mean he came from your imagination. Magic works in mysterious ways.”

“Even if he is real, I’m over it.” Lizzie crossed her arms. “I should know better anyways. Broody bad boys are so last year.”

Hope chuckled. “Agreed.”

Voices sounded outside the door, and a figure paused in front of the door. They could see the silhouette through the clouded glass.

“Oh, no, it’s Ethan,” Hope said.

“Ethan. I thought you said you were friends.”

“We are. He just wants a little more than friendship. Hey, would you do me a favor?”

Lizzie rolled her eyes. “Fine, I’ll—”

Hope wrapped an arm around Lizzie’s neck and pressed her lips against hers. Lizzie noted the fact Hope was on her tiptoes before her own eyes fluttered shut. Hope threaded her fingers through Lizzie’s hair and ran a hand down Lizzie’s back. Lizzie practically melted at the touch.

It took her a moment to realize this was the favor. She thought for sure Hope would ask her to flirt with Ethan…

This… was a surprise.

Warmth spread through Lizzie’s skin. Her fingers tingled as she traced them along Hope’s waist. Her skin was so soft and smooth. And warm. Oh, God, she was warm. A gasp escaped her lips. Hope was kissing her neck now, trailing kisses down towards Lizzie’s cleavage.

Oh, yes. Lizzie tightened her grip on Hope’s waist and pulled her closer to her. She reached for Hope’s head and brought her back up to her lips again, craving those soft but fierce kisses.

The door creaked open. “Hope?”

Hope pulled away all too quickly, and Lizzie struggled to catch her breath and pull herself together. She smoothed out her dress before looking over to the door. She recognized the boy from the football game against Mystic Falls. His arm was in a sling. That must be Ethan. But he wasn’t alone. Her dad stood next to him, his mouth agape.

“Dad, I—” Lizzie glanced over at Hope, expecting her to have an explanation already prepared. She had asked for the favor after all.

But Hope seemed just as shocked as she was. “Principal Saltzman. Ah, we were just…”

Alaric held up his hand. “It’s okay, girls. You’re not in trouble. Hope, since it’s the first time, I can just give you a warning. Janitor’s closets are not for making out.”

“Right,” Hope said, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

She gave Lizzie an apologetic glance before announcing she was heading to the library to work on homework. Ethan went with her, and Lizzie tried to ignore the prickle of jealousy that flared beneath her skin.

Alaric crossed his arms, brows raised. “Lizzie, I thought you were, I mean, how do you even know Hope?”

“We met last night when that oni demon was in me or whatever. I guess you could say we had a connection. She feels...familiar.”

“Ah,” Alaric said, an understanding look crossing his face. “Well, that’s okay then. You know I’m fine with whoever you want to date.”

“Oh, we’re not dating,” Lizzie said quickly. The words left an odd taste in her mouth.

“Right. Hooking up. Yeah, it’s fine. Just, you know, no janitor closets.”

Lizzie nodded, giving her best awkward smile. “Thanks, Dad. I’ll keep that in mind. And maybe next time we’ll try the principal’s office.” She ran off before her dad could say anything else. Her cheeks hurt from smiling so much. The look on her dad’s face was priceless.

Once she got outside, reality caught up to her. Lizzie had just made out with Hope Mikaelson, and Lizzie had enjoyed it. What alternate reality was this? She looked around in the bushes to see if there was a genie or something hiding out there, but of course there was nothing.

“Hey,” Maya said, coming up to her. “You didn’t tell me you were Hope’s girlfriend.”

_ Hope’s girlfriend. _She quite liked the sound of that.

“I’m not.” Lizzie smirked. “Not yet anyways.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just had to write a continuation of that last scene with Lizzie. This is my first time writing for the Legacies fandom. I really love Hope and Lizzie!
> 
> Comments and feedback are much appreciated.


	2. Are You Alone?

Lizzie didn’t bother going to her classes for the rest of the day. She had much bigger things to work on. Mainly her master plan to get Hope Mikaelson to be her girlfriend. She already had a binder, color-coded of course, and she’d printed the schedule for Mystic Falls High to find out which days they both had off. Potential days to ask Hope on a date.

Lizzie knew she was going a little overboard, but at this point she didn’t care. It was a welcome distraction from the whole Sebastian debacle, not to mention the demon possession and side effects of Josie using dark magic. Though the side effects weren’t as bad as she’d expected. No rash this time thankfully.

A orchestral song tore her from her thoughts. 

It took Lizzie a moment to recognize what that infernal sound was. Her phone was ringing. She forgot she'd change it to a song she thought Sebastian would like. Ugh.

She raised an eyebrow at her phone, fixing it with a glare. No way was she answering. Who actually called nowadays anyway? Nothing was cutting into her masterplanning. Not her classes, not Josie, and certainly not a Goddamn sales call.

The phone stopped, and she sighed with relief, flipping to a new page in her binder and doodling Hope’s name with a big heart at the top.

A moment later the phone rang again.

Lizzie snapped it up to her ear. “What?”

“Sorry, is this a bad time?”

Lizzie’s heart stuttered. “Hope?”

“Is everything okay, Lizzie?”

“Yeah, it’s fine. I’m fine.” Lizzie fumbled with her dress and tucked her hair behind her ear, even though she knew Hope couldn’t see her.

“Great, I’m really glad to hear that. Are you alone?”

Lizzie's jaw dropped. Now this was unexpected, but God was she ready. “Uh, yeah, I’m so alone. The spiders won’t even talk to me.” What the hell was she saying? “Anyways, what did you need?” She leaned back on her bed, doing her best sexy pose.

“I just wanted to finish up our conversation from earlier since we got interrupted.”

“Oh, yeah. Of course.” Wow, Lizzie needed to get her mind out of the gutter.

“You haven’t told anyone, have you? About what you remembered?”

“No, not yet.”

“I know this is a lot to ask, but could you keep it a secret? At least for now.”

“Of course,” Lizzie said, a little too eagerly. She hadn’t planned on telling anyone anyways. Still, it felt nice to have a secret she shared with Hope.

“Thanks. I just think it needs to come from me, you know? Landon might not be as understanding if you tell him. And I really, really don’t want him to hate me.”

Lizzie’s throat went dry. Of course Hope was only thinking of Landon. Even after that kiss they shared. Did it really mean nothing to her? “I won’t tell a soul.”

“You’re the best, Lizzie.”

Sure, but not as good as Landon. She was a little too crazy for Hope, not boring enough. Gosh, the binder was totally stupid. Lizzie shoved it off the bed, watching the papers spill across the floor. She swiped at her watery eyes. She would _ not _ cry over Hope Mikaelson. How pathetic. She’d gone from one hopeless crush to another. When would Lizzie ever learn?

“Hey, Lizzie, one more thing.”

“Yeah?”

“You’re a great kisser.” The line went dead.

Lizzie checked her phone. She wasn’t sure if the call had dropped, or if Hope had hung up on her. Either way, her heart was racing like horses outrunning a storm.

Hope Mikaelson thought she was a great kisser. Lizzie grabbed her pillow and squeezed it, lying back on her bed. Her smile was so wide her mouth hurt, but she didn’t care. She had a chance after all. The worries melted away, and all she could think about was kissing Hope.

“What’s this?”

Lizzie sat up abruptly. Josie was picking up the binder from the floor. “Don’t look at that,” she said, rushing over to rescue it, but it was too late.

“Hope? As in Hope Marshall? _ You _ have a crush on Hope.” Josie looked horrified. “You just met this girl yesterday. Lizzie, is this because of Sebastian?” Her face went soft with concern.

Lizzie yanked the binder out of her hands. “No, this has nothing to do with him. I ran into Hope today and we sort of connected. No big deal.”

“Ran into her? Did you go see her during lunch?”

Lizzie shrugged, hugging the binder to her chest. Josie wasn’t one to judge. She’d been busy with Landon all lunch, and it wasn’t like they never skipped class to do couply things. “I wanted to thank her for her help last night.”

“And you had to cut class to do that? Lizzie, what is going on with you? Please talk to me.”

Lizzie’s face fell. This wasn’t the reaction she was expecting. Josie was supposed to be happy for her. She was supposed to squeal about Lizzie’s first girl crush, and Lizzie would pretend like it was no big deal, but secretly she would enjoy Josie pushing her to ask out Hope. It was supposed to be this whole big thing, and this was not it. At all.

“I am talking to you,” Lizzie said defensively, “and I’m telling you I have a legitimate crush on Hope Mikael—Hope Marshall, I mean.”

“See, you didn’t even know her last name.” Josie crossed her arms, arching a brow. “You were quick to crush on Sebastian too. Don’t you think you should take a break? Take some time for yourself.”

Lizzie rolled her eyes. “I took the whole summer for myself. I’m ready for romance. And I’m into Hope. Weren’t you the one who swore I would turn out to be bisexual? Well, you were right. Come on, you should be celebrating.”

“You don’t even know if she likes girls.”

“She definitely does.”

“Even if that’s true, Lizzie, she likes Landon. Not you.”

“Then why was she making out with me during lunchtime?” Lizzie raised an eyebrow, smirking triumphantly. There was nothing Josie could say to that.

"You sure you aren't interested in her because she's giving you attention?"

"I'm sure. When she kissed me, I felt things. Like really felt them."

"Kisses tend to feel good. It doesn't mean you like her."

Josie did have a point, but Hope wasn't someone Lizzie just met. They had a complicated history, and Lizzie was positive she'd felt things before. It explained so much about why she'd been so upset when Josie told her Hope was saying cruel things about her. Thank goodness that hadn’t been true.

Hope was good. She was real. Beautiful. A wonderful kisser. And Lizzie wanted to be with her more than she'd wanted anything else.

“Lizzie, come on, this isn’t like you. You’re acting a little—”

“Don’t say it,” Lizzie warned, taking a step back.

“Strange.”

“No, you were going to say crazy. I tell you I went on a date with someone who wasn’t real, and you insist I’m not crazy. But now that I’m interested in someone real, you call me crazy. Do you just not want me to be happy?”

“No, it’s not anything like that,” Josie said. “I definitely want you to be happy, Lizzie. I just want you to be careful. I know how you can rush into things. You only think you like her.”

Lizzie felt the tears trickling down her cheeks. She thought Josie of all people would support her with this. Her first girl crush was a big deal, and here Josie was trying to convince her it wasn’t even real. “You don’t get to do this to me. I'm telling you that I like her. Why won't you just believe me?”

“I would, but—”

“Just leave me alone!”

“Lizzie.” Josie reached for her, but she pushed her away.

“Get out!”

“You want the truth?” Josie yelled. “Fine. Hope’s only pretending to be interested in you to get to me. She’s a horrible person. She wants to steal Landon from me. You’re just collateral damage.”

Lizzie scoffed. “Collateral damage? I am no one’s collateral damage. I went to Hope because I wanted to talk to her. She didn’t lure me there in any evil scheme.”

“She can’t be trusted,” Josie insisted. “She’s hiding something.”

Lizzie was so tempted to tell Josie who Hope really was, to explain that she was the one who was supposed to hate Hope, not Josie. But she’d made a promise, and she intended to keep that.

“Go find your mopheaded phoenix. I want to be alone for a while.”

Josie sighed. “Fine, I’ll talk to you later. Oh, also MG said he wanted to talk to you.”

“He is the last person I want to talk to right now.” Their argument still felt fresh in her mind. She couldn’t bear to think about it.

Josie left, and Lizzie collapsed onto her bed, feeling empty. She’d lost the two people she wanted to talk to about this. There was only one person she knew who would understand, but this was going to be the most awkward conversation of her life.

—

Lizzie knocked on the door of her dad’s house in Mystic Falls. It was small and rundown and tucked into a neighborhood where the houses were too close together and half the mailboxes had been knocked down.

There probably wasn’t much he could afford on a principal’s salary. Dorian had helped him move in while Lizzie was still traveling. It felt weird that she’d skipped that chapter in her dad’s life.

“Come on, Dad, open up. I need to talk to you, like, yesterday,” she said to herself. The next door neighbors gave her a funny look as they went into their house. She really needed to kick the habit of talking to herself.

She tapped her foot and pulled out her phone. Guess she’d better call him after all. So much for a surprise visit.

The phone rang three times before her dad picked up. “Where are you?” Lizzie demanded, unable to keep the snippiness out of her voice.

“I’m still in my office at the school. Did I forget about some plans we made? Sorry, I’ve just been so swamped lately. I can finish up here. Where were we supposed to meet?”

“Your house.” She didn’t bother telling him they hadn’t made plans. It would get him there faster if he thought it was his fault. A bit cruel maybe, but Lizzie was desperate.

“Let yourself in. There’s a key under the mat. I’ll be there as soon as I can. I’ll even pick up some key lime pie on the way home to make it up to you. Sound good?”

“Thank God,” Lizzie said, already turning the key in the lock. If her dad couldn’t help her, at least the sugar would be some solace. “See you later.”

She clicked off the phone and walked into the quiet house. It was only slightly nicer inside. She sat down on the lumpy couch, draping her legs across the cushions, and leaned back to stare at the cracks in the ceiling.

Today already felt so long. She just wanted it to be over. She wanted to go back to her dreams, the detailed memories of the time she spent with Hope Mikaelson. Especially near the end when they became friends. Her mind started to drift to those memories as sleep called to her.

Hope appeared, standing alone in a room… No, not a room exactly. It was all black, stretching endlessly through time and spare. Malivore. Hope was running, searching for a way out. Every so often a bright light would appear and try to suck Hope into it like a vacuum. Monsters reached out with clawed fingers and chased her through the endless darkness.

Lizzie awoke with a start. Her dad had his hand on her arm.

“Good morning, sleepy head.”

“What? It’s morning?” Lizzie sat bolt upright.

Alaric laughed. “No. It’s only about six-thirty. Are you feeling okay? You looked like you were having a bad dream.”

“Not bad exactly. Just weird.”

“What were you dreaming about?”

“Hope Mikaelson.”

Alaric’s eyes widened. “How do you know that name?”

“After the demon was in my head, all the memories came back to me. And just now I saw a little more. Dad, Hope was in Malivore. I mean, I suppose I knew that since how else would everyone forget about her? But I saw it, Dad. I saw Malivore.”

“Did you see where it was?” He looked hopeful.

“It wasn’t anywhere,” Lizzie said. “It was just dark, and then there was this light. It didn’t make a lot of sense. There were monsters everywhere. I have no idea how Hope got out of there.”

Alaric checked Lizzie’s forehead. “You’ve got a bit of a temperature. Let’s go get some medicine for you in the kitchen.”

Lizzie’s head was hurting like someone had taken a hammer to it. A shattered skull to go with her shattered mind. How poetic.

She sat down at the kitchen table, resting her elbows on the table and rubbing her forehead.

Alaric turned on the electric kettle to boil some water for tea and put some crackers and ibuprofen on a plate for her. “Start with that. We’ll save dessert for later.” He took away the delicious-looking pie and placed it in the fridge.

“Thank you,” she mumbled. She took the medicine and chewed on the crackers. Already she was feeling a little better. “I thought I’d gotten all my memories back last night.”

“Well, it sounds like that demon left behind some of its own memories as well. Maybe next time you sleep, you’ll see how Hope gets out. We need to find that portal.”

“I can go back to sleep right now.”

Alaric shook his head, chuckling. “No, I understand the desire to hurry and find the answers, but you can’t rush these things. You need to wait for them to come in their own time. Besides, you’re not going to be able to fall asleep if you’re worried about everything.”

Lizzie snorted. She managed to do that all the time, but her dad did have a point. If the demon’s memories left her in such a bad shape, she definitely didn’t want to return to them now and make herself feel even worse.

A few minutes later she cradled her warm mug in her hands. The fresh scent of vanilla and lavender drifted into the air, and Lizzie breathed it in deep. Each sip of tea calmed her down a little more. Her thoughts returned to Hope, and she found that she could think about the situation a lot more clearly.

“Hope said she told you everything,” Lizzie said. “So that means you know about her and Landon?”

Alaric leaned forward in his chair. “Yes.”

“Do you know… Sorry, but do you know if she still loves him?” She studied her father’s face for signs of the truth.

He swirled a spoon in his cup of tea, not meeting her eyes. It was answer enough for her and left a sick feeling in her stomach.

“Do you think she would move on from him?” Lizzie asked. “If she found the right person, that is…”

Alaric looked at her, his eyes intense, brows pinched together. “I’m not sure. She described their bond as an ‘epic love.’ But I do think she’s been trying to get over him. Maybe not succeeding, but certainly making an effort.”

Lizzie took a long sip of her tea. Gaining Hope’s affection would not be an easy task, but then again, Lizzie was never one to turn down a challenge. Still, she needed to know that Hope was open to it, that pursuing her wouldn’t be a waste of time. Or, not a waste of time exactly. A waste of mental and emotional energy. She could handle Hope choosing Landon over her, but she couldn’t handle finding out Hope never considered her to begin with.

“You really like her?” Alaric said.

Lizzie’s cheeks felt warm, and she cupped her chin in her hands to cover her blush. Her dad did not need to see her like that. She wasn’t some silly lovestruck school girl. Or maybe she was…

“I’ve never felt like this before. Well, that’s a lie. I did feel something pretty intense for Sebastian, but he turned out not to be real, so that doesn’t really count.”

“You got catfished?”

Lizzie shrugged. She didn’t want to explain the situation to her dad and have him accuse her of being crazy too. “My point is, I really like Hope, and I want to ask her out. But I’m scared she’ll reject me, or maybe she will agree to go out with me, but I’ll never be good enough for her. Or she'd agree to date me to avoid thinking about Landon, but she wouldn't really be with me since I'd just be a distraction. And honestly that would just be so much worse.” It was so weird talking to her dad about this. But right now she didn’t have anyone else, and she couldn’t stop the words from tumbling out once she’d started.

“Well, maybe you could start by taking things slow. You’ve only just remembered Hope last night. And you just reconnected this afternoon. I don’t know whose idea it was to make out in a closet, but it does feel pretty fast. So maybe if you slow things down, spend more time with her, a relationship will develop. If you’re meant to be, it’ll happen.”

“You're so right. That makes so much sense. God, I'm such an idiot. I just jumped straight to wanting to date her, but right now what Hope really needs is a friend. Everyone’s forgotten her, and she’s feeling totally alone. I mean, honestly, just spending time with her would be amazing. I can work up to kissing her again when the time is right.”

“That’s the spirit. And for the record I think you two would make a very nice couple.”

“Dad!” Lizzie groaned. She hid her blush behind her hands. God, did he have to be so embarrassing?

“So I take it you’re not going to tell Josie who Hope is?” Alaric said.

“Of course not. That would ruin everything. You know she’d get totally insecure around Landon and end up doing something stupid, like setting Hope on fire or something. I can’t let that happen.”

Alaric smiled. “She wouldn’t set anyone on fire.”

“Oh, trust me, she would. When she found out I had a crush on Hope, she told me Hope was only using me to make her angry. She hates Hope so much, more than I ever did.”

“Don't avoid Hope because of Josie. You should go where your heart tells you to.”

Lizzie rolled her eyes. “Ugh, that is so cliche.”

A knock sounded at the door, startling her. Alaric got up to answer it.

Lizzie sank back in her seat, studying her reflection in the teacup. She really did look worn out, like she’d used too much black magic. Josie’s spell was pretty powerful. She was definitely still suffering from the after effects, but it felt like more than that. Lizzie wondered if she’d been siphoning magic in her sleep to read the demon’s memories.

“Dr. Saltzman, I need your help.”

Lizzie sat up straight. She knew that voice.

“Don’t worry it’s not my blood.”

Lizzie followed the sound down the hall and saw Hope standing in the doorway. She looked good, even with the blood splatters on her skin-tight shirt. Lizzie had a brief moment where she wondered if that was a bad thing to be thinking, then Hope smiled and all Lizzie’s worries melted away.

Damn it. She was so far gone for her...

Hope looked relieved to see her. “Lizzie, another creature from Malivore showed up. It’s some sort of giant horse. I tried to fight it off, but it got past me. It’s headed for the Salvatore school.”

“Well, let’s go after it,” Alaric said without a moment’s hesitation.

Hope touched Lizzie’s hand. “Are you well enough to fight?”

Lizzie ignored the tingle that spread up her arm. “I was born ready.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks everyone for your comments! I hope you enjoyed this chapter too. Not much Lizzie and Hope interaction, but there will definitely be more next chapter to make up for it.


	3. Your Mind Isn't Broken

Lizzie knew she should be watching the road for any signs of the horsey demon hunting their local hobbit, but her gaze kept returning to Hope. She was sitting in the front seat next to Lizzie’s dad, scanning the trees while he navigated the winding roads.

They were getting closer and closer to the Salvatore school, but Hope hadn’t reported any signs of the creature.

“What kind of demon are we chasing exactly?” Lizzie asked, leaning forward in her seat.

“I don’t know,” Hope said. “It was too dark to tell. I was just checking on that spot by the tree you were chained to, you know where the oni went. The portal to Malivore. And this horse appeared out of nowhere and came galloping towards me.”

“You sure it wasn’t just a regular horse?”

Hope turned to give her a look. “It had glowing red eyes like the oni and managed to plow down a fire hydrant.”

Lizzie wanted to argue that a normal horse could do that, but who was she kidding? This horse was definitely demonic in nature. She crossed her arms, leaning back in her seat. “Well, I’ve never heard of a horse with glowing eyes.”

“A lot of the creatures from Malivore have been from old folklore,” Alaric cut in. “Some were even erased from history like the Necromancer. After everyone forgot them, the texts were destroyed. It’s possible this creature is even more ancient than many of the others we’ve seen.”

Lizzie snorted. What was so ancient about a horse? They only lived like thirty years.

“There should be hoofprints,” Hope said, frowning. “I saw it running this way, but there’s no trace of it.”

“Oh, great, we’re chasing a ghost pony,” Lizzie said, grimacing. She really hoped she was wrong. It would be much harder to fight a ghost.

“Don’t be silly,” Hope said.

“It’s there!” Lizzie said, pointing to the school gates.

A black horse nearly as tall as the gates stood there. It shook its mane, its red eyes fixed on the metal bars.

“It’s going to ram it down. Stop the car!”

Alaric slammed on the breaks and shifted into park. The automatic locks clicked open as the car lurched forward. Lizzie caught herself on the back of Hope’s seat. Her fingers brushed against Hope’s hair for a moment before Hope threw open the door and ran out of the car.

Ghost pony, more like ghost Hope. Lizzie rolled her eyes and unbuckled her seatbelt, cursing as it got tangled. She yanked herself free and ran after Hope. Her heart was racing. The closer she got to the horse, the more afraid she became. It looked like it could trample them both with the lightest step.

Magic shimmered in the air around Hope’s hands as she cast a spell. Ice shot at the horse while it galloped straight for the gate. Lizzie expected the horse to jump over the gate, but it went straight through it, seeming to blink out of existence for a second and reappear on the other side. But that didn’t make sense…

“What just happened?” Lizzie asked.

Hope looked just as confused. “We need to get inside now.” She looked at Alaric in desperation, but he gave her an apologetic look. He didn’t have the codes to get in anymore.

“Dr. Saltzman? Lizzie?”

They turned to the gate. Dorian stood on the other side, a flashlight in his hand. “What are you doing out here?”

“Could you let us in, Dorian?” Alaric said. “There’s another demon out tonight, and we think it’s going after Landon.”

“You do know there’s a restraining order against you, right?”

“Yeah, I know, but this is more important than a silly piece of paper, don’t you think? The students’ lives are in danger.”

Dorian nodded. “Of course.” He opened the gates, giving Hope a funny look, like he wasn’t sure what she was doing there. And of course he wouldn’t know that she was the best chance they had of tracking down the demon horse.

Lizzie stormed through the gates, eager to find this creature and be done with it. This wasn’t how she saw her night going at all.

“We’ve got the Decades Dance going on tonight. I’ll try my best to put the school on lockdown,” Dorian said and ran off towards the school.

The Decades Dance. Lizzie knew she was forgetting something. She’d spent so much time getting together outfits for it. It was such a pity she had to miss it. She pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind. They had much bigger things to worry about now.

Hope bit her lip as she studied the ground. “Still no hoofprints. Your ghost horse theory is starting to seem more and more likely.”

“Ghost pony,” she corrected, smirking proudly. But her celebration didn’t last long. She had a bad feeling in her stomach.

“That’s the biggest pony I’ve ever seen,” Hope muttered as they walked around the grounds.

Lizzie shot her a glare, but Hope just offered a small smile. Lizzie rolled her eyes. “Let’s just find this thing before it crashes the dance. It would be the biggest party pooper of any decade.”

Hope suppressed a laugh.

“What?”

“Nothing. Just that would definitely make the party stink.” Hope’s smile faded as she glanced behind Lizzie. She stopped dead in her tracks.

Lizzie knew that look. Ugh. Her stupid heart felt like it would burst. She whipped around to see Landon standing by the stone bird feeder in the garden. He was wearing a godawful zip up vest over a truly horrendous long-sleeved shirt. The worst of eighties fashion.

“Landon, what are you doing out here?” Hope asked. “You should be inside with the others.”

“It’s another creature from Malivore, isn’t it?” he said. “I can’t keep hiding, Hope. Let me fight it with you.” He reached out a hand to her.

Hope took a step towards him, but Lizzie felt in her gut that something wasn’t right. Or maybe she just didn’t want to see the two join hands. Either way, she put herself between them.

“Why would you leave Josie behind?” Lizzie demanded.

Landon put a hand to his head. “I know this isn’t going to make any sense to you, but all these moments started coming back to me. Memories, I think. Of you, Hope. And after that I just couldn’t be with Josie anymore.”

“That is such bullshit,” Lizzie said, grabbing Hope’s crossbow and aiming for his heart. She knew he wouldn’t break up with Josie right after he remember Hope. He wasn’t that kind of guy. No matter how in love he was with Hope he would be gentle with Lizzie’s sister. “Stop lying to us.”

Landon smirked. “Oh, come on, Lizzie. You wouldn’t kill me twice in one week.”

She shot the arrow.

Landon’s eyes went wide as he flung himself to the side, but the arrow was too fast. He exploded into a cascade of water, soaking them to the bone. The crossbow clattered to the ground.

Lizzie stepped back, agog. What just happened? She caught a glimpse of water splashing across the grass until it formed a big black horse and disappeared into the shadows of the trees.

“That is no ghost pony,” Alaric said. “It’s a kelpie.”

“What’s a kelpie?” Lizzie asked.

Hope explained, “It’s a water spirit that looks like a horse and can take the shape of anyone apparently. We need to be on our guard.” She picked up her crossbow and started walking towards the trees.

“According to Scottish folklore, it only takes the shape of men,” Alaric said. “Keep me in your line of sight. If I disappear, don’t trust me when you see me again.”

“Why doesn’t it leave hoofprints?” Lizzie asked.

“Its hooves are reversed, so it’s incredibly easy to recognize by its prints. This isn’t an ordinary kelpie, if they really exist. I think it’s the first kelpie, the most powerful of its kind. I imagine it’s found some way to hide its prints, maybe with water. ”

“Or maybe it’s not even touching the ground,” Hope said. “You saw how it turned into water and arced into the sky. Maybe it can transform just its hooves.”

“While this folklore lesson is truly fascinating,” Lizzie said, her voice dripping with sarcasm, “how on earth are we going to kill this thing?”

“Pierce it through the heart,” Hope said matter-of-factly.

Even though Hope looked completely focused, Lizzie noticed that she looked a little sadder than usual. The kelpie’s trick had certainly been cruel. She realized with a shiver that this kelpie could see into their memories, even memories they’d forgotten. It would be only too easy for it to trick them again and shake them to the core.

—

Lizzie was deeply regretting wearing her cute boots as they trudged through the woods. The leather was drying all weird and making her steps wobbly. She had to grab onto Hope’s shoulder a few times to stop from falling.

It felt like hours before they caught a glimpse of the kelpie. They chased it through the forest, jumping over logs and dodging tree branches. The beast was fast, but they managed to catch up to it only for it to rear its mane and collapse into a spray of water. 

Lizzie looked down at her clothes. They had just dried, and now she was drenched. Again. Tonight was absolutely terrible. She should have just stayed at Alaric’s house. She could have curled up in a nice warm bed and let the healing powers of sleep take over. Who knows, maybe she would have remembered something else useful.

“Shouldn’t there be a spell to dry us off or something?” Lizzie said, flicking her hands, watching water droplets shoot off her sleeves. She felt like a wet dog. Or maybe a wet cat, they seemed to like water less.

“ _ Confuso fatina, ignos et ignos mortifina. _ ” Hope drew the water from their clothes and send it into a tree.

“You couldn’t have thought of that an hour ago?” Lizzie asked, annoyed.

“Sorry, I’ve been a bit distracted, if you hadn’t noticed.”

Oh, right. The Landon thing. Lizzie went quiet, walking ahead to search through the trees. Hope grabbed her arm. “Hey, we need to stick together.”

Lizzie’s heart was racing, and she just didn’t feel like she could take this anymore. Who was she kidding? Being friends with Hope would be impossible. Every mention of Landon would turn her into an absolute monster. She yanked her arm out of Hope’s grasp.

“Fine, but you don’t need to latch onto me like a stupid monkey.”

Hope looked genuinely hurt. She didn’t retort with her usual comeback. Seeing Landon had really messed her up that bad, huh?

“I’m sorry,” Lizzie said, unable to stop herself. Hope just looked so broken. “Hey, that spell you just used. Could we use it to pull the kelpie to us?”

“I don’t know.” Hope lifted her hands to try the spell again. Lizzie put a hand on her shoulder and muttered the spell with her. But no kelpie appeared. “I could feel it,” Hope said. “But I think it’s too big, or maybe it has a natural resistance to magic.”

Lizzie rolled her eyes, huffing. “Great. My best weapon is completely useless against this thing.”

Hope whipped her head around. “Where did Alaric go?”

“He was right…” But when Lizzie looked back, he wasn’t there.

They shared a wide-eyed look. If they found Alaric, there was a big chance it would be the kelpie wearing his face. They searched through the woods, running and calling his name, but there was no sign of him. Nothing.

“I could transform into a wolf and look for him,” Hope offered. “I might have a better chance of finding him that way.”

“I don’t have any clothes for you to change into once you change back.”

Hope shrugged. “That doesn’t bother me.” She closed her eyes, as if preparing to transform.

“Wait, no, Hope.” Lizzie grabbed her arm and pointed. “There’s a clearing over there. I thought I saw a flash of light.”

They ran towards it. Hope tripped on a root, but Lizzie helped her up. They crouched behind the trees to see into the clearing. Alaric was there, but he wasn’t alone.

He was standing on one side, crossbow raised, while Dorian stood opposite him, pointing a gun at his chest.

“Which one is the kelpie?” Lizzie whispered, expecting Hope to know some obscure lore that would make this easy to figure out.

Hope bit her lip. “I guess we’ll just have to ask.” She was rushing down the slope before Lizzie could stop her.

Cursing, Lizzie hurried after her. They stopped about twenty feet from Alaric and Dorian. “What’s going on?” Lizzie demanded before Hope could say anything.

Dorian was the first to explain. “Your dad texted me that the monster was a kelpie. I went to the library and found out the only way to kill a kelpie is with a silver bullet. I’m just trying to find out if that’s your dad, or the kelpie.”

That meant he was in the same boat as them, or he was lying.

“Dad?” Lizzie asked, turning to Alaric expectantly.

“Dorian wouldn’t leave the children unattended. He would’ve texted me about the silver, but I haven’t gotten anything since ‘ _ The school is all locked up.’  _ He’s got to be the kelpie.”

“You don’t know that though,” Hope said. “It could turn out that neither of you are the kelpie. Do you really want to risk killing your friend?”

“Oh, we haven’t been friends in a long time,” Alaric said. Even from here, Lizzie could see his grip tightening on the crossbow.

They were both acting strange, out of character, but the kelpie couldn’t be in two places at once. Either one was real and the other was the kelpie, or neither of them was the kelpie. She couldn’t do the same thing with Landon. Dorian and Alaric weren’t phoenixes. If she attacked the wrong one, they’d be dead.

That gave Lizzie an idea. She grabbed Hope’s shoulder, siphoning magic from her, to cast a spell. “ _ Tardus pulsatio. _ ”

Alaric’s shoulders relaxed, but Dorian stayed tense for a moment. She was certain it had worked, then he relaxed too. There was no way Dorian had better magic resistance than Alaric.

Lizzie used another spell to heat the gun in Dorian’s hand until he had to drop it. Alaric pulled the trigger on the crossbow. The arrow embedded itself into Dorian’s chest.

He collapsed to his knees.

A horrible wave of nausea passed over Lizzie as she realized her mistake. She’d chosen the wrong person, and now the kelpie would come after them…

Dorian was crying, calling out to them for help.

Lizzie started to run towards him, but Hope grabbed her hand. “It’s too late. There’s nothing you can do.”

“No, but I have to help him. I did this.”

Hope squeezed her hand. “There’s nothing you can do. You don’t stand a chance against the kelpie. He’ll finish him off.”

Lizzie looked back at Dorian. Alaric—or the thing that was wearing Alaric’s face—was walking slowly towards him, like a villain seeking its prey. She didn’t want to watch, but she couldn’t look away.

Alaric pulled out a silver knife. As he brought it to Dorian’s heart, Dorian grabbed his wrist, desperately fumbling. His face shimmered, and then it was Rafael.

“Dr. Saltzman, what are you doing?” he whimpered.

“Dorian  _ was  _ the kelpie,” Lizzie said angrily. “We’ve got to help Dad.”

They ran towards the kelpie, but they were too late. The kelpie burst into a shower of water, dousing them once more. They pushed water out of their faces, and when they looked back, the clearing was empty.

Lizzie had this horrible feeling in her chest. The kelpie had her dad. And both his crossbow and knife lay on the ground. He was unarmed.

“Where’s the gun?” Hope asked.

Lizzie saw a patch of grass that was soaked through. “The gun was fake. He was bluffing to get my dad to come close enough for him to attack. Damn, these creatures are such tricksters.”

“If it was fake, how could that spell you used work on it?”

“The kelpie can’t just see our memories. It must be able to read our thoughts. It knew what spell I going to cast and how to react. And it knew exactly how to trick Dad into getting close, and that he would hesitate if it was a student, even for a split second. But at least we know you were right. Magic won’t work against it.”

Hope handed Lizzie the silver knife. “You need it more than I do.”

Lizzie was too scared to be offended. She snatched the knife from Hope and studied the trees around the clearing. “Do you think it’ll head back to the school?”

“Not yet. It knows we’re easy prey. And it’s been trapped in Malivore so long, I’m sure it’s ravenous. We need to hurry and find your dad.”

“Yeah, but which way? It could have taken him anywhere.”

“It’ll take him close to water. Let’s go to the lake.”

They headed through the trees. Lizzie was still quite a bit shaken. That a moment she believed she’d killed Dorian stretched on for hours in her memories. It felt like her whole world had turned upside down, and it still wasn’t quite right.

This kelpie really knew how to mess with them. Everything was calculated. It was so smart, it knew all their thoughts, it was immune to magic, and it could take any shape. If Lizzie didn’t know any better, she’d say it was invincible. But Malivore had killed it—or maybe “consumed” was the right word. There had to something that could work against it…

Lizzie tightened her grip around the knife. It brought another thought to her mind. If the kelpie wanted to convince them he was Dorian, it needed to know something Dorian could have known. Something that they could fact-check if they were smart enough to call a friend for help.

Maybe silver was the way to kill it. They didn’t have silver bullets, but she had a silver knife. The steel-headed arrow didn’t seem to cause it any real damage; it didn’t transform until her dad was going at it with the knife. Could it really be the one thing that would work?

Lizzie wanted to test her theory and take this creature down, but she was absolutely terrified. What if this time she guessed wrong? What if she lost her dad because of it? Josie would never forgive her, and she’d never forgive herself. She wanted to collapse into a ball and cry, bury herself deep in the earth where the kelpie couldn’t find her.

She wasn’t strong like Hope. She couldn’t do this. Her breathing was becoming shaky. She staggered, catching herself on a tree.

“Lizzie, are you okay?”

“Obviously not,” Lizzie groaned. She felt like screaming.

Hope touched her cheek, a gentle caress that send warmth through Lizzie’s body. “You’re going to be okay. We can do this, but I can’t do it alone. I need you here with me.”

It was then Lizzie noticed that Hope’s hand was shaking. She was scared too. Lizzie had never seen her like this. She was more vulnerable than she’d been inside that janitor’s closet. Lizzie realized she was letting her see that on purpose, to show her that it was okay to feel that way.

She pulled herself together. “I’m okay. I’m okay.” She took a deep breath, glancing behind them. Sebastian was standing by one of the trees, licking blood from his lips.

Terrified, Lizzie turned and ran. She didn’t know where she was going, only that she needed to get far away from the kelpie. It was messing with her mind. Pulling that image of Sebastian from her head and forcing her to see him again. She was too scared to look back. Too done with everything.

She tripped, one of her boots finally giving out. Her hands slammed into the grass as she caught herself. Her palms stung, and she sat up to wipe the grass off her pants. Ugh, it was definitely going to leave a stain.

“Lizzie, what happened?” Hope was right behind her, thankfully. She helped her to her feet.

“Thought I saw…” Lizzie looked over to see what she’d tripped over. It was her dad. He was propped in a sitting position against the tree, blood running down his forehead from a thick cut. “Dad, are you okay?”

“I’m fine, honey.”

Lizzie reached for her dad, desperate for some comfort, but Hope put a hand on her shoulder. “Wait, Lizzie. You don’t know that’s him.”

Lizzie glanced behind her. There was no sign of Sebastian, and they knew from experience that the kelpie was fast. It was possible it had gotten in front of them and transformed into her dad.

“I know there’s nothing I can say to convince you, but I promise you, Lizzie, it’s me,” Alaric said.

“I don’t know,” Lizzie said, backing up a step. The kelpie would be smart enough to say exactly what her dad would. He was practically laid out like bait. It felt like a trap, but she wanted it so badly to be her dad.

“I’m really proud of you, Lizzie. I’ve taught you to be cautious, and that’s good. So, it’s okay. Leave me here. Go find the kelpie and destroy it.”

Hope stepped forward. “And leave you for the kelpie to feast on? Not after everything you’ve done for me.” She helped him up, and Alaric stabbed Hope in the stomach. She whimpered, staggering backwards. Lizzie couldn’t breathe.

Her dad was the kelpie. She should have figured it out, and she’d been stupid to leave that knife lying on the ground within his reach. Why didn’t she stop Hope? She should’ve done something. She could do something now...

Lizzie rushed over to help Hope.

“Don’t!” her dad called. “That’s the kelpie. I thought it could only appear as males, but I was wrong.”

Lizzie looked back and forth between them. The kelpie was just trying to trick her. If she stepped closer to it, it would stab her too. No, she needed to go to Hope. She was pale, blood spreading from the wound where the dagger still stuck. Lizzie ran to her.

“Lizzie, be careful!”

She whirled around to see...another Hope. Her dad wasn’t the kelpie after all. Lizzie backed up to stand next to her dad and looked back and forth between the two Hopes. Which one was the real one?

She wanted it to be the one her dad hadn’t stabbed, but she couldn’t be sure. “How sure are you that that’s the kelpie?”

“Not at all,” Alaric admitted. “I saw the second Hope and took my chances. If it’s the wrong one, I figured she’d be able to heal from it.”

She wished she could just use some magic to prove which one was Hope, but from the Dorian incident, they’d discovered the kelpie could fake the effects of magic.

Lizzie knew she was the only person who could possibly figure this out. After all, she was the only one who remembered Hope. Not only that but she’d kissed her, felt her underneath her skin. If anyone could figure this out, it would be her.

The kelpie wouldn’t transform and reveal its cards. If Lizzie didn’t act soon, it would probably burst into water and kidnap Hope this time. And with Hope in its clutches, getting Landon would be easy. That was what it really wanted, wasn’t it? What all the demons from Malivore had wanted.

Lizzie realized something. Only the kelpie would be able to read her thoughts. If she let all the crazy out, maybe she could overwhelm the kelpie.

She took a deep breath, then let her thoughts run wild. Everything she’d been holding in and suppressing came to the forefront of her mind. Her body trembled, and she fought back the urge to scream.

The therapy sessions where she spent the whole time crying. The times she clutched her phone at night, desperate to talk to someone, but not wanting to disturb her dad. Her feelings for Hope that had come to her like a tidal wave. Her feelings for Sebastian that now felt pathetic and wrong. Her certainly that Josie would win the merge…

The feeling of looking back at her actions and realizing they didn't make sense, that she hadn't fully been herself. The awareness she sometimes had when she did something that didn't make sense but was unable to stop herself. The fear she felt when she woke up on a bad day, wondering who she would hurt today if she got out of bed. The fear that her sister would finally give up on her, that she already had long ago and was just pretending to care.

Her frustration that Hope still had feelings for Landon. The way the kelpie had used Landon against Hope. The hurt she’d seen on Hope’s face, in the way she moved, how she looked like she was holding in a tornado, struggling to keep it from unleashing itself upon the world. How Lizzie was a tornado, and she was ready to rip the earth to pieces to save Hope.

Hope screamed, the one who hadn’t been stabbed, and put her hands to her ears. That was the one. Lizzie didn’t have a lot of time. She needed to kill it before it turned into water again and disappeared.

She lifted the silver knife from the ground and sent it spiraling into the kelpie’s heart. Tears ran down its face, and it looked up at Lizzie.

“Wrong guess,” it whimpered and collapsed onto the ground.

Lizzie felt cold, like her whole body had filled with ice. This was another trick, wasn’t it? She couldn’t have gotten it wrong. She couldn’t have killed Hope. She was so certain she was right.

Except Lizzie was never certain of anything. Her mind played tricks on her, convinced her she was doing the right thing when she wasn’t. Had the kelpie known that and done something to the real Hope to make Lizzie think that was the kelpie?

She glanced at the other Hope, uncertain. All she could do was wait. There was no use in running to her. If she’d struck the real Hope, she wouldn’t be able to heal fast enough, and Lizzie wouldn’t be able to do anything to save her. Only time would tell.

The Hope on the ground shrieked, her breathing labored. Seeing her like this was tearing Lizzie apart more than anything the kelpie had done that night. More than seeing Sebastian. More than thinking about all the horrible things going on in her life. More than thinking she’d gotten Dorian killed.

She wished she could kiss her one last time, but if that was the kelpie, it would be the kiss of death.

Hope breathed her last breath. The air was quiet, still, and a coldness enveloped them. Lizzie stopped breathing, tears sliding down her cheeks. She blinked, wiping the tears away. When she looked back, the dying Hope was gone. In her place was a great black horse, seaweed tangled through its mane. The kelpie.

She sighed with relief, collapsing backwards onto the ground. She had been right after all. The kelpie was a trickster to its last breath. 

The real Hope helped her to her feet. “You saved my life,” Hope said, wrapping her arms around her.

“About time. You’re always saving everyone else.”

Hope pulled back, gripping Lizzie’s arms. “How did you know that wasn’t me?”

“I guess you could say I used my broken mind as a weapon.”

“Your mind isn't broken. It’s beautiful.”

Lizzie’s heart was racing faster than the kelpie’s hooves. She was suddenly very aware of how close they were to each other. Screw just being friends. Lizzie gripped the base of Hope’s neck and leaned in to kiss her. Hope parted her lips, tilting her head towards her, then she winced and pulled back.

“Sorry, I think I need to put something on this.” She clutched her stomach. Her shirt was soaked with blood.

“We have supplies at the school,” Alaric said. “I’ll text Dorian to see if he can open the nurse’s office for us.”

Hope nodded.

Lizzie put Hope’s arm over her shoulder. Her dad took position on the other side of her and they helped Hope up to the school. They were a lot closer to it than Lizzie had realized. The kelpie must have been leading them that way on purpose.

She knew Hope would be okay. Her werewolf healing powers would kick in, and everything would be right with the world again. Lizzie’s thoughts drifted to the almost kiss. Hope genuinely looked like she wanted to kiss her. Maybe she really did have a chance. One thing Lizzie was certain of: she wouldn’t hesitate next time she wanted to kiss Hope Mikaelson.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew, long chapter! Thanks for sticking around for the story. I was really excited to write about a monster from Malivore and put Lizzie and Hope in a very challenging situation that would ultimately bring them closer together.


	4. Aren't You Sick of Me Yet?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lizzie helps tend to Hope's injuries after the battle with the kelpie. In the morning, they head to the town square to set up for Commonwealth Day, and both struggle to avoid unwanted confrontations.

Lizzie could barely focus as she helped Hope into the nurse’s office. Thankfully, Alaric had gone off with Dorian to discuss what had happened with the kelpie. Now that her father wasn’t breathing over their shoulders, all Lizzie could think about was the almost kiss. Which was stupid. She should be focused on Hope’s injury.

“A little help here?” Hope said, snapping Lizzie out of her thoughts.

“Of course.” Lizzie knocked over a stool as she scrambled to get to Hope. She picked it up and dragged it over to the cot Hope was sitting on. “What did you need help with? I’m all yours.” Lizzie’s throat felt dry. She hoped it wasn’t obvious how much she wished that were true.

Hope picked up a stack of towels from the shelf behind her. “We should clean the wound at least. Can you wet one of these towels in the sink?”

“Yeah, sure.” Lizzie grabbed the towel from her and walked to the sink, grateful to have her back to Hope for a little while. Her cheeks felt warm. She was sure she had the most embarrassing blush. God, she wasn’t supposed to come undone so easily.

The handle squeaked as Lizzie turned on the faucet. Water ran down the towel, trickling across her fingers. She closed her eyes for a moment, painful memories of the kelpie rushing back to her. How close she’d come to getting Hope killed. If she’d guessed wrong…

No. Lizzie straightened her shoulders, lifting her chin. She wouldn’t give in to negative thoughts. This was Lizzie 2.0. She was starting over fresh. She couldn’t fall back into her bad habit of letting her thoughts spiral out of control. Her therapist had taught her how to practice mindfulness, and how to ground herself when she felt her control slipping.

Lizzie opened her eyes and watched the metal of the sink handle glint in the light, watched the water swirling down the drain. She focused on the sound of the water and of Hope shuffling on the bed, the crunch of the stiff sheets on the cot. She turned off the water, feeling the cool metal beneath her fingers, and licked her lips, tasting the remnants of her cherry gloss. She couldn’t really smell anything, but she felt calm enough now.

Lizzie turned around to offer the towel to Hope...and completely short-circuited.

Hope wasn’t wearing a shirt. Only a bra. Even though the gruesome wound was exposed and should have been revolting, Lizzie couldn’t look away. Her heart was racing faster than the kelpie’s steps.

She held out the towel to Hope, at a loss for words. Hope thanked her and took the towel. She began dabbing at the wound while Lizzie stood there staring at her like an idiot. _ Come on, Lizzie. Talk. Say anything. _

“That’s a pretty bra.” Oh. God. Lizzie could feel her whole face turn bright red.

Hope giggled, for lack of a better word. “Thanks. I’m pretty sure my shirt is ruined.” She gestured to the bloody heap she’d tossed into the garbage can. “Anything good in the Lost and Found?”

“Oh, you do not want to wear anything from there, trust me.” Lizzie hurried to open one of the cabinets behind the nurse’s desk. She pulled out a stack of three of her shirts. “I keep a stash here since well, you know…”

Hope took the options from her and looked through them carefully. She picked up a lavender short-sleeved shirt. “You wore this when we defeated the arachnid.”

“Yeah, you won’t believe how many washes it took to get the monster goo out of it. That’s why it’s here and not in my room. Emergency clothes only.”

Hope gave her that smile that always made Lizzie melt. A full face smile. Eyes crinkled, cheeks wide, and just a hint of a secret behind those curved lips. “I’d be happy to take it off your hands. Monster goo residue doesn’t bother me.”

“Sure, it’s yours.”

Hope slipped it on over her head, careful to lay it gently over the bandage. “How do I look?”

Stunning. Perfect. Girlfriend material. Lizzie couldn’t say the words aloud, so she just gave her a thumbs up like a ten-year-old dweeb. Seriously, what was wrong with her? She’d had plenty of crushes, but the way she felt about Hope was next level.

“I’m sorry you missed the dance,” Hope said.

“It’s okay. It was my fault. I completely forgot it was tonight.” Lizzie had been so distracted by Hope she hadn’t even prepared.

Hope walked over to her and held out her hand. “May I have this dance?”

Lizzie snorted. “There’s no music.”

Hope pulled out her phone, and with a few clicks she had “Two of Hearts” by Stacey Q playing.

“You have an eighties mix on your phone?” Lizzie asked, raising an eyebrow. She didn’t mention the fact that Hope’s song choice was on the romantic side, though definitely a fun, upbeat song to dance to. Maybe her music was on shuffle...

“Of course I have an eighties mix on my phone. Now, come on, let’s dance.”

“Fine.” Lizzie took her hand, and they danced to the beat. You’d hardly know Hope had been injured what with the way she moved. Lizzie twirled Hope around, letting the music and feelings carry her away. She was completely captivated by Hope, unable to take her eyes off her with each step. Her hands were sweaty, and her fingers tingled where Hope touched her. She remembered how it had looked like Hope was leaning towards her in the woods…

This was it. She promised herself she would seize the next opportunity. Lizzie leaned in for the kiss, pressing her forehead against Hope’s, when orchestral music drowned out the eighties song. Lizzie fumbled for her phone and frowned at the screen.

“It’s my dad.” Her heart pounded in her chest. Had he already encountered another monster at the portal? The whole reason he got her a phone was so that he could contact her in case of emergencies. He had to be in serious trouble. “Dad?”

“Hey, honey. I just wanted to remind you that I signed you and Josie up to set up for Commonwealth Day in the morning.”

“You could have texted me that. God, were you trying to give me a heart attack?”

“I thought you might be asleep already. I didn’t want you to forget to set an alarm.”

“I’ll be there.” Lizzie clicked the button to end the call.

Hope put a hand on her shoulder and rubbed soothing circles with her thumb. “It’s okay, Lizzie. Your dad is fine. Just breathe.”

Lizzie nodded, swallowing hard. She tried to loosen her posture, but she was so tense. The fear had a tight grip on her and it wouldn’t release her no matter what she tried. He was okay. No monsters. Yet. The thought sent a chill down Lizzie’s spine. It was only a matter of time before her dad was put in danger again. He’d almost been killed tonight.

Hope rubbed her back. “You’re shaking. Let me walk you back to your room.”

Lizzie shook her head furiously. “No, it’s okay. I’m fine, really.” She tried to pull away from her, but Hope stepped closer and grasped her hand.

“Please, Lizzie. I just want to make sure you get back safely.” She didn’t call out Lizzie on her obvious lie about being fine, but Lizzie could see the concern on her face.

“Don’t you need to go do something heroic?” Lizzie wasn’t sure why she was fighting this. It was very sweet of Hope to offer to walk her back, and her heart swelled at the thought that Hope was concerned for her safety. A year ago if Hope had found her trembling like this, she would have just left her to self-destruct.

“Your dad said he and Dorian would take portal duty until the morning, so I don’t need to do anything heroic until then.” Hope chuckled, her eyes bright and gentle. “Six impossible things before breakfast, right?”

Lizzie felt like she would melt on the spot. Hope remembered her book report on _Alice in Wonderland _and _Through the Looking Glass _by Lewis Carroll when she was eleven_. _She’d been totally obsessed for a few weeks and asked everyone to start calling her Alice since she was blond like her. Hope was the only person who had. Of course, that was before she thought Hope hated her with every fibre of her being.

Damn Josie for messing everything up just because she had a crush on Hope and didn’t want Lizzie to steal her. Lizzie didn’t even like Hope then! She remembered with regret their fight that morning. Josie was not happy that Lizzie had a crush on Hope now. It didn’t matter how many memories of Hope she had, she’d never be okay with the two of them.

It made Lizzie feel sick to her stomach, but she tried to push the thoughts away. If Josie was still awake, she could talk to her about it, tell her about the kelpie and how Hope was definitely on their side.

Hope squeezed her hand, and it felt like electricity shot through her. Lizzie looked into Hope’s eyes. In the dim lights of the nurse’s office, they looked almost grey. “Are you feeling better now?”

Lizzie studied her face for a moment. “You said that on purpose, to distract me?”

Hope laughed. “You make it sound so nefarious. I just wanted to get your mind off unpleasant things. You had so much fun back then, Alice.”

Lizzie felt like the world stopped. Alice. She hadn’t expected Hope to ever call her that again. Something about that was so sweet, a call back to a more innocent time. She’d always been a troubled child, but at least she’d had a few weeks of happiness back then.

Hope was looking at her expectantly. Apparently, she’d said a bit more, but Lizzie had been too distracted by her own stupid feelings. “Sorry, what were you saying?”

Hope raised an eyebrow, giving her a judgmental look. “It’s a wonder you pass any of your classes.”

“Teachers love me,” Lizzie said confidently, though she doubted that was true.

“You keep telling yourself that. Come on, let’s head back to your room.” She grabbed Lizzie’s arm.

“Josie hates you. If you walk me back, you might run into her.”

“I’ll take the risk.” The look in Hope’s eyes said _ you’re more important. _

“Okay, fine. But just to my door.”

…

The hallways were eerily quiet. The school had only gone into lockdown and nobody had been evacuated, so it didn’t make a lot of sense. Dorian did let everyone know it was safe now, didn’t he?

Lizzie peered into every shadowy corner as they walked, expecting some new monster to come crawling out of the woodwork. She really needed to get a grip and calm the hell down. She was glad she’d let Hope come with her. Braving these halls alone would have been tough.

They turned into the hallway to Lizzie’s bedroom.

Hope stopped short. Lizzie nearly bumped into her.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, looking around for signs of a monster.

Hope opened her mouth and closed it. Hurt was evident on her face. Lizzie followed her gaze to the door, more specifically the doorknob, where a white sock had been placed over it.

For a second, Lizzie thought it was just some disgusting prank. Then the pieces clicked together. A sock on the door meant _ Do Not Disturb, _ usually because of activities of a sexual nature. Did that mean Josie and Landon were having sex?

Lizzie put her ear to the door. She couldn’t hear any love-making noises, but she could hear the low timbre of Landon’s voice. She backed away quickly, like she’d been burned.

“Okay, so I am _ not _sleeping in there tonight.” She looked at Hope and felt her heart shatter at her facial expression.

Lizzie grabbed her shoulders and pushed her away from the door, back down the hall the way they’d come. “Where are you staying these days?”

“An apartment,” Hope mumbled.

“Okay, good. I’ll call a cab. You don’t mind if I stay with you tonight, do you?”

“That’s fine.”

Hope didn’t speak again until they were walking into her apartment. “Sorry, it’s a mess,” she said, tossing a duffel bag off the couch. It landed with a clatter of metal on the floor. “My weapons bag,” Hope explained. “Tools of the trade.”

Lizzie nodded. The place wasn’t as messy as Hope seemed to think it was. The apartment had a small kitchen that opened out into the living room area. Some clothes were scattered around the living room, and the sink was piled high with dirty plates, but other than that the place was spotless. It was even decorated with tasteful art and fake plants.

“How can you afford this place?” she asked.

“I can’t. The couple who rent it are out of town for the month. I’m just squatting here until then.”

“Oh,” Lizzie said, pulling her hand away from the tapestry she’d been admiring. “Well, it’s a nice place. Where can I sleep?”

“There’s only one bed, so you can sleep there, and I’ll take the couch.”

“Oh, no, I couldn’t make you sleep on the couch. I’m the visitor. I’ll take the couch.”

“Technically we’re both the visitors,” Hope said with a sly smile.

“Well, we can’t both fit on the couch.”

Hope laughed. “That wasn’t what I was suggesting.”

“Oh. _ Oh. _” Lizzie felt stupid for missing something so obvious. “Is the bed big enough?”

“It’s a queen. Should be big enough for the both of us.”

Hope gave her an oversized shirt to change into for pajamas, and Lizzie went to take a shower. She felt a little bad about running up a stranger’s water bill, but her skin felt too icky from monster fighting for her to care.

The light was turned off in the bedroom. Lizzie crawled onto the vacant side of the bed and pulled the covers up to her chin. She could feel Hope’s warmth behind her. It was comforting, but Lizzie still had trouble sleeping.

Every little noise sounded so loud to her. This was worse than living in the dorms at school. She shifted in the bed to look at Hope, who had her back to her. It was unclear whether she was fast asleep or not.

Lizzie reached out to touch her back to see if she was awake, but her hand stopped short when she heard Hope sniffling. Her shoulders were shaky ever so slightly. Lizzie knew that posture. The same thing happened to her whenever she cried about something she had no control over. She’d feel guilty for crying and try to minimize her reaction, but all it did was make her feel worse inside.

All Lizzie could think was that Landon did this to her. He’d gone and had sex with Josie and now Hope was hurting. Lizzie wanted so badly to comfort her, but she knew from experience that if she did anything, Hope would be embarrassed and probably kick her out of the apartment.

Lizzie shut her eyes and forced sleep to claim her.

…

Hope was already getting ready when Lizzie woke up. Her alarm hadn’t gone off yet—it was still too early—and she shivered under the sheets. It was freezing without Hope’s warmth to keep her company.

Standing in front of the mirror, Hope pulled a short-sleeved magenta shirt over her tank top. It looked nice against her soft, pale skin. Lizzie was captivated by the way the shirt clung to her in all the right places.

Hope turned and jumped, putting a hand to her chest. “Sorry, I didn’t realize you were awake.”

“How do you always do that?”

“Do what?”

“Look so perfect all the time.”

Hope smiled, shaking her head. “I don’t. I’m always a mess.” She walked over to the dresser and picked up a stack of clothes. “I found some things I think would fit you, if you want to just head to the town square to set up for the festival. I’m heading there anyways for portal duty.”

“Thank you,” Lizzie said, grabbing the stack of clothes from Hope. “I was so not looking forward to sneaking into my hobbit-infested room.” She regretted saying it right away.

Hope’s gaze went distant. “I’m going to make a protein shake. You get dressed and then we’ll head over there together.” With that, Hope left her alone in the room.

“My stupid, stupid fat gob,” Lizzie muttered under her breath. Why couldn’t she ever keep those sarcastic thoughts to herself?

By the time she’d changed into a navy blue jumpsuit, Hope was at the door again. She handed her a shake. “Not as fancy as the school’s breakfast, but it’ll give you energy for the day.”

Lizzie took it from her, eyeing it hesitantly. It was a greenish-gray color and smelled like garbage. Basically vomit in a cup.

“Trust me, you do not want to work on an empty stomach.”

Fair point. Lizzie guzzled down the shake as fast as she could. It tasted like vegetables and dirt and pond scum. How often did Hope drink these monstrosities?

...

It was a pleasant morning as they walked to the town square where the festival would be held. The horrors of last night felt like a bad nightmare in comparison, or a bad night “mare.” Literally.

They reached the town square, where a banner and several tables had already been set up. Volunteers were distributing table cloths, fall-themed decorations, and empty food containers to be set on the tables. Lizzie signed in as a volunteer and put the time next to her name.

She didn’t understand why they had to get here at this ungodly hour in the morning. The festival wasn’t until tomorrow. They could have done all of this in the afternoon or in the evening. What, did they need to run a dress rehearsal for a Commonwealth Day play or something?

Lizzie picked up one of the programs from a box. “A musical? You’re kidding.”

Hope covered her smile.

“Do you see this?” Lizzie turned around the brochure so Hope could see the picture of four pilgrims holding a pumpkin in the air. “Are they trying to tell us the original settlers here were gourd-worshippers or something?”

Hope snorted. She hefted a pumpkin onto her shoulder. “Do I look gourd-geous?”

Lizzie stifled a laugh. Of course she did. Hope looked amazing no matter how silly she looked holding a pumpkin.

“Oh, wow, look at that strength.”

They both whirled around to see Ethan grinning at Hope. Maya stood next to him and gave them a small wave. She didn’t look angry, just tired. Clearly not happy to be there so early in the morning either.

“You’re a-gourd-able,” Ethan said.

Hope laughed, but it sounded off to Lizzie. She glanced over to see if she could read her expression. She seemed a little tense, but she was doing a good job of hiding it.

After Hope made out with Lizzie in the janitor’s closet yesterday and Ethan walked in on them, she was sure he would take the hint and back off. But he seemed as determined to woo Hope as ever. Not that she blamed him, but Hope clearly didn’t like him. Besides, Lizzie still needed to kiss her again and find out if Hope even liked her.

Lizzie put a hand on Hope’s shoulder. “We’ve got our instructions to set up a table over there. See you guys later.”

Maya grinned at her. “Sure thing, kitty cat.” She winked.

Lizzie stiffened. Was Maya flirting with her? She’d basically told the girl that she wanted to date Hope. Maybe she was just winking to wish Lizzie good luck with Hope. Yeah, that made more sense.

They reached a table on the far side of the field. It was literally right above the portal to Malivore. Oddly enough Dorian and her dad weren’t there standing guard. Hopefully nothing got out between shifts. Surely the townspeople would have noticed if that had happened.

Lizzie started setting random decorations on the table, not really paying attention to design or aesthetic.

“Thanks,” Hope said, setting down the pumpkin.

“For what?”

“For getting me out of there. Ethan was flirting with me all the way to the library yesterday. Even after you tried to help me get rid of him.”

Lizzie shrugged, ignoring the pleasant shiver that swept through her at Hope’s allusion to the kissing. “Some guys are persistent like that. Take MG for example.”

“I thought you guys weren’t talking.”

“We’re not. I refuse to speak to him until he gives me a proper apology. He claims to be all big on feminism, so he should know that’s what he needs to do.”

“Is what he did really so bad? You were seeing something that he couldn’t see, and he was worried about you. It sounds like he did it to spare you the embarrassment of finding out from the rest of the school once you started introducing Sebastian as your boyfriend.”

“He wasn’t my boyfriend,” Lizzie snapped. “Well, not yet anyways. We only went on one date. And it wasn’t even real, so it doesn’t count.”

“But you liked him?”

“Of course I liked him. I went through all the trouble of dreaming up a boyfriend. That’s why he was so perfect.” Lizzie sighed, frustrated. She really didn’t want to talk about Sebastian. It was a sensitive topic, and she was still shaken from seeing the kelpie appear as him last night.

She expected Hope to say something, but she was staring across the field, that hurt look on her face again. Lizzie didn’t even need to follow her gaze to know who she’d spotted. Sure enough Landon had arrived with Josie and Rafael in tow.

“Hope, could you help me move this pumpkin? It’s really heavy.”

Together they lifted it.

“That wasn’t too bad,” Hope said.

“Guess I’m still weak from the fight,” Lizzie said, shrugging. Really, she’d just needed something to distract Hope. She looked over Hope’s shoulder and saw Ethan walking in their direction with a huge bouquet of flowers. “Oh, no.”

Without thinking, she dragged Hope under the table to hide behind the table cloth.

“Gah! Lizzie, what are you doing?”

“Shh!” Lizzie put a finger to her lips. “I think Ethan’s trying to bring you flowers.”

Hope laughed, rolling her eyes. “That’s ridiculous. He’s not—”

“Excuse me, sir,” came Ethan’s voice from beside the table. “Have you seen a young lady in a red shirt about yea high?”

“Quit slacking off. This is no time to shower your girlfriend with gifts. I swear, people like you are going to ruin this festival.” They could practically hear the sneer in the man’s voice.

“I’m sorry, Councilman. But actually I’m not here to volunteer. I’ve got football practice in a few. I just wanted to donate these to the festival. I was hoping my friend could take them off my hands, but I guess I’ll just leave them here.” The vase clattered against the table above their heads as he set it down.

They held their breath while they waited for the footsteps to fade away.

Hope sighed. “Thanks for that. I don’t know what I would’ve done if he’d offered me flowers.”

“I do. You would’ve taken them, and he would have assumed that meant something, and pretty soon he’d ask you out, and he’d use this moment as his reason that you really do like him deep down. For someone with your history, you can be too nice sometimes.”

“That’s true,” Hope conceded.

“Come on, I think the coast is clear.”

They crawled out from under the table and brushed the dirt off their clothes. Lizzie looked at the huge bouquet that was now the centerpiece. “Well, at least we can use the flowers for the table.” It did add a certain elegance to their table of mismatched decorations.

“Uh, oh,” Hope said.

“What?” Lizzie looked up to find Josie storming towards her, arms crossed. She looked absolutely furious.

“I’m going to make myself scarce. Catch up with you later.” Hope hurried back towards the group of volunteers handing out decorations.

Lizzie crossed her arms, mirroring her sister. “Good morning, Josie.”

“Don’t ‘Good morning, Josie’ me! What were you doing under the table with Hope? You guys aren’t seriously dating, are you?”

“No, we’re not,” Lizzie said honestly. She couldn’t hide the disappointment in her voice.

“But you’re hooking up with her in closets and under tables? Yeah, Dad told me all about your little makeout session in the janitor’s closet at Mystic Falls High. That’s really not a healthy way to start a relationship. Not that you should start one. You should definitely stay away from her. She’s bad news.”

“She helped take down a kelpie last night,” Lizzie snapped. “While you and your little hobbit were getting busy in the shire, we were fighting for our lives. A little warning would have been nice, by the way.”

“I asked you to sleep at Dad’s.”

“No, you didn’t.”

Josie opened her mouth and closed it. “Well, I meant to. I guess I got distracted with us fighting. Anyways, that’s not important right now. Why were you going after a monster with Hope?”

“I went to Dad’s house yesterday because I was feeling like crap after our fight. Hope showed up to let Dad know she saw a monster come out of the portal to Malivore. So Dad and I went with her to track it down.”

Hurt was written across Josie’s face. “Why didn’t you or Dad call me?”

“I’m sorry that I wasn’t in any rush to put my sister in danger.”

“I could’ve helped,” Josie said.

“Probably not. This monster was really tricky. I only managed to defeat it because of my messed up mind. At least that’s proven useful against a few Malivore monsters. And why didn’t you tell me you were planning to have sex?”

Josie shook her head. “No, we are not talking about that. This conversation is over.” She turned on her heel and stormed away from her, back to Landon and Rafael.

Lizzie felt her eyes watering, but she willed the tears away. She would not cry over this. They had fought plenty of times. That was what sisters did. And things were tense lately because they’d learned about the merge.

A ding sounded from Lizzie’s phone. She pulled it out to see a long text from her dad. Apparently a zombie had appeared at the school. He said that neither he nor Dorian saw it come out of the portal, so it must have come out right after they defeated the kelpie. Also, Josie and MG had teamed up together to subdue and capture it.

Well, Josie definitely hadn’t mentioned that. How could she be mad about Lizzie fighting a monster without her when she’d done the exact same? Ugh, she hated how complicated things were becoming between them. Her therapist would say it was part of growing up, and her dad would say she just needed to give Josie some time. They were in a transitional part of their lives, but Lizzie couldn’t help but feel like she was drowning.

“Everything okay?” Hope asked.

Lizzie was so glad to see her. “Oh, thank God.” She draped an arm over Hope’s shoulder. “So, Josie and He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named captured our latest Malivore monster, which means you are now free of portal duty, and I am totally over this festival. We set up one table. Good enough, right?”

Hope laughed. “It’s the best-looking table here. I think you’ve fulfilled your duty.”

“Thank you. Now, since we have the rest of the day free, I was thinking we could hang out.”

“Aren’t you sick of me yet?”

Lizzie laughed. Never. But all she said was, “I just really need to get away from Josie for a while. I was thinking we could do some shopping or binge-watch a TV show.”

“I have a better idea,” Hope said. “As long as you don’t mind being a little adventurous.”

“Oh, I can do adventure,” Lizzie assured her. Honestly she didn’t care what Hope had in mind. She’d follow her anywhere.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, the story continues. We are starting to diverge from canon events. The big event that changed is that Josie has yet to discover Penelope's diary.
> 
> Thanks so much for your comments and support! If you have any guesses for what Hope has planned, please feel free to share. I'm very curious to see what everyone has to say.


	5. This Place Is Cursed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lizzie isn't too happy to be spending her day off treasure hunting with Hope, especially when they end up trapped in a no-magic zone. They must work together to try to find their way out, but the place is a lot more dangerous than they first thought.

Lizzie should have known that Hope’s idea of adventure would involve a lot of walking. The great outdoors was great, sometimes, but this definitely wasn’t Lizzie’s idea of relaxing. At least it meant she had some time with Hope alone. They could bond over how miserably hot it was outside or how annoying it was to have bugs flying in their faces.

Speaking of, Lizzie swatted away a gnat. “I still think we should have gone to the spa,” she muttered as they climbed over a rocky hill.

“Oh, really?” Hope said, lifting an eyebrow. “Hours with your eyes closed. Wouldn’t that just give you plenty of time to think about your fight with Josie?”

Lizzie shuddered. “And plenty of time to picture Josie and her hobbit shacking up in the shire. Oh, God. How do I wipe that image from my mind?”

“Throw Josie into Malivore,” Hope suggested with a shrug.

Lizzie stopped walking, stunned. “Don’t joke about Malivore. I wouldn’t wish that eternal darkness and suffering on anybody.”

Hope tilted her head, giving her a funny look. “How do you know anything about what Malivore’s like? I didn’t give your dad any details.”

Lizzie rubbed her arms. It felt like the inside of her skin was itchy and no amount of rubbing could soothe it. “I had this dream from the demon’s point of view. I saw what it was like in Malivore and felt what the demon was feeling. It was beyond terrifying. I don’t know how you managed to stay down there without going insane.”

“Well, I had company,” Hope said. “Though I don’t know if that made it better or worse. It was Clarke. Or agent Ryan Clarke. We met him in Maple Hollows.”

“Oh, that creep from Triad who took the urn?”

“I guess you didn’t just get back your Malivore memories of me. You don’t think maybe it wasn’t the demon that restored your memories. Maybe it was Josie’s spell.”

Lizzie laughed. “Oh, come on. She siphoned an ancient Japanese sword. It doesn’t have that kind of power. That sword was built for demon-slaying, not memory restoration. Anyway, are you going to tell me where we’re going? You said we were looking for something.”

“We’re almost there,” Hope said elusively.

Lizzie groaned. She really picked the wrong shoes for this. Not that she had much of a choice. She wasn’t about to go back to her room, where she might encounter evidence of last night’s activities. She did not need that mental scar, thank you very much.

About ten minutes later Hope said they’d reached the spot. She sat down on the grass and started pulling items from her duffel bag. A few candles, a map, some herbs. She set them up on the grass in front of her and instructed Lizzie to sit across from her.

“Take my hands and chant the spell with me,” Hope said, looking up at Lizzie. Her eyes were startlingly pretty. Lizzie’s questions died on her lips, and she took Hope’s hands, trusting her completely.

The magic tingled through her as she siphoned magic from Hope for the spell. It was definitely a locator spell of some sort, that much was obvious, but Lizzie had no idea what they were locating. She tried not to get distracted by Hope’s smooth skin and how much her touch made Lizzie’s whole body feel alive.

Lizzie joined Hope in chanting the words. Once the spell was finished, they held on to each other’s hands a few glorious seconds too long, and Lizzie felt starved of her touch when Hope pulled away.

Hope was staring intently at the map, waiting for something. A light October breeze picked up around them, scattering yellow and brown leaves across the map. Lizzie moved to brush them away, but Hope grasped her wrist.

“Not yet. The map can’t be disturbed by human touch.”

Lizzie’s cheeks burned as she snatched her hand back. She didn’t want to admit to herself how good that had felt, how much she’d let Hope do to her if she were ever given the chance.

“There we go,” Hope said, grinning like a child who’d just discovered Santa was real. A black X had appeared on the map.

“What’s that for?” Lizzie asked.

“It’s the location of an ancient weapon, one I think we could use against Malivore. I’ve never been able to track it down on my own. I only knew roughly where it was located. But now thanks to you, we have its exact location.”

“Wait, you didn’t tell me this was some super serious Malivore quest. I thought we were supposed to be relaxing and having fun today.”

“This is fun,” Hope said. “And if we find the weapon, we can relax because then we’ll actually have a chance against Malivore.”

“Why did you need me to locate it?”

“I recently learned it was hidden by your mother, Josette Laughlin. You and Josie were siphoning magic from her before you were even born. I hoped you would still have enough of that magic to use it to locate the weapon she had in her possession.”

“How did you learn that?”

“That doesn’t matter right now,” Hope said, running a hand through her hair. “Do you want to find this weapon or not? This could be our one chance to stop Malivore for good. I’m ready for the monsters to stop coming. I’m ready to stop worrying about Landon’s safety all the time.”

Lizzie rolled her eyes. Of course this was all about Landon. Even after Hope learned he was getting busy with Josie, he was still the only thing on her mind. Why wouldn’t she just get over him already? Lizzie had gotten over Sebastian right away. Albeit, he was never real to begin with, but that was beside the point.

“And then we can focus on stopping the Merge,” Hope said.

Lizzie’s attention snapped back to Hope. “You’d really help me with that?” She didn’t know why she was so surprised, this was Hope after all. But hearing Hope say it out loud was really touching.

“Of course, Lizzie.” She took Lizzie’s hand into her own. “I don’t want the Merge to happen any more than you do. You deserve more than becoming a part of your sister. Besides, I like you just as you are.” Hope smiled. She let go of Lizzie’s hand, her expression determined. “All right, let’s find this weapon.”

Lizzie stared at her for a moment, still hardly believing the words. Hope said she liked her. She liked her exactly the way she was. Lizzie’s heart was racing, and she was struck by the urge to pull Hope into her arms, but now wasn’t the right time. They were on a mission.

Once they found the weapon, she could think about whether Hope liked Lizzie in a friend way or a more-than-friend way.

…

They continued hiking through the woods, heading closer and closer to that black X on the map. They stopped for a water break a couple times. Thankfully Hope had a backpack full of supplies and snacks. Lizzie had the feeling she’d been preparing for this trip for days.

The precious daylight hours were slipping by. Lizzie was worried that it would be nightfall before they found the damn thing. She checked the time on her phone. It was only two in the afternoon. It felt like so much more time had passed.

“Are we almost there?” Lizzie asked, stumbling across the grass. Her calves were killing her.

“Almost. Just a little ways this way.”

Lizzie’s foot slipped as the ground gave out underneath her. She grabbed onto Hope’s bag to stop herself from falling, but in typical Lizzie fashion, she just ended up pulling Hope down with her. They kept falling, down and down, tumbling through the air. Darkness surrounded them until they were submerged in a pool of water.

Lizzie swam to the surface. She gasped for air and looked around for Hope. Panic gripped her tight when she saw no sign of her. She dove back under the water, searching for Hope, but she couldn’t see anything through the murky blackness.

Something latched on to her arm, and Lizzie kicked up to the surface again. She was relieved to see Hope beside her, coughing out water. Lizzie swam to the edge of the pool they’d fallen into and climbed out of it. She helped Hope out of the pool.

“Are you okay?” Lizzie asked, checking her for injuries.

“I would be if someone didn’t pull me down with them,” Hope snapped. “Sorry, I’m just—we were so close, but now I don’t know where we are, and I didn’t tell anyone we were coming here.”

Lizzie grabbed onto Hope’s shoulders. “Hey, hey. It’s okay, Hope. We’ll find our way out of here.”

“Sorry, I don’t do well with large dark spaces.”

Lizzie pulled her into a hug, stroking her back. “It’s okay. We’re not in Malivore. This place has an actual floor we can see.” Lizzie let go of Hope and pulled out her cell phone. She turned on the flashlight feature and shone the light on the stone floor. It glistened with the water they’d splashed onto it from the pool, which she could see was actually a large stone basin.

“Your phone’s still working?” Hope asked, shocked. She pulled out her phone to find it very dead and sopping wet.

“Yeah, it’s waterproof.”

Hope tossed her useless phone onto the ground. “Mine is of the pay-as-you-go variety. No fancy features. Can you get a signal?”

Lizzie held up her phone, frowning. “No.” She aimed the flashlight on her phone at the ground and walked around the space. They seemed to be in an underground cave with rocky walls. Some ancient symbols were carved onto the wall by the stone basin. “This must be some old shrine or something.”

“Point the light up.”

They looked to the ceiling, but it was too dark and stretched too high up for them to see the top of it. “Maybe cast your light spell. I think that has a bigger range.”

_ “Post tenebras spero lucem,”  _ Hope said, holding her hand up, but no light sparked to life. No glowing orb. Nothing.

“What’s wrong?” Lizzie asked, tense.

“I don’t know. It’s not working. You try.”

Lizzie grabbed Hope’s shoulder to siphon magic from her, but her hand didn’t glow red, and no magic entered her. She couldn’t feel Hope’s magic at all. “Wherever we are, I don’t think we can do magic.”

“This place is cursed,” Hope said, pressing a hand against the stone wall. “Your dad had a pair of shackles at the school that could neutralize a witch’s power. I think this cave might be built out of the same stone, maybe even cursed by the same witches.”

“Great. We landed in some booby trap for witches.” It was Lizzie’s turn to freak out. “Oh, God. This is even worse than the kelpie, and we can’t even dry ourselves with a spell. My hair is going to be so frizzy when it dries.”

“I think your hair should be the least of your worries.”

Lizzie’s eyes went wide. “You’re right. What if there’s no way out of here? We could starve to death.”

Hope grabbed Lizzie’s hands. “We’ll find a way out of here. That basin looks like it was used for anointing people in a ritual or something. People must have come in and out of here for that.”

Lizzie nodded, trying to steady herself, but her breaths were coming in quick gasps. Her hands were shaking, even with Hope holding on to them. “I just want to be home,” Lizzie said, crying.

Hope grasped the back of Lizzie’s head and pulled her down until their foreheads touched. “Me too, Lizzie. It’s going to be okay. We just need to look around for the way out. There has to be one.” She smiled at her and pulled away.

The close proximity had calmed down Lizzie a little bit. They might be stuck down here, but at least she wasn’t stuck here alone. She had Hope, and if anyone could find the way out, it was her.

Hope walked over to the edge of the basin and picked up a piece of sopping wet paper. “The map’s ruined.” Hope sighed, grabbing her backpack which had fallen just outside the basin. She pulled a couple of candles out of it and lit them. She slung the bag over her shoulder, and they walked through the cave, lighting the path with Lizzie’s phone and Hope’s candles.

The main chamber of the cave was roughly in a circle. Two sides opened into another chamber and a passageway. They explored the chamber first but found no way out through there. No luck in the passageway either. It just led to a dead end filled with stones too heavy for even Hope to move.

Lizzie was trying to be the brave one. They still had time to figure this out. Hope had water and food in her bag. They could survive down here at least a few days if it came to that. Her dad and Josie would notice she was missing, and they would come looking for her, wouldn’t they? Unless Josie thought she’d run off because of their fight.

As the minutes passed, Lizzie found it harder and harder to stay calm. “Should we scream for help?”

“No. We can’t risk attracting monsters here.”

“But the Malivore monster is currently locked up in the school.”

Hope looked at her. “There are other monsters in these parts. We are literally sitting ducks without our powers.”

“Well, I am, but you aren’t. You could transform into a wolf, couldn’t you?”

Hope tilted her head. “Maybe. Werewolf magic is different from witch magic.” Hope set down her candles and pulled off her shirt.

“What are you doing? Put your shirt back on.”

“I’m going to see if I can transform into a wolf. If I take my clothes off first, they won’t get destroyed. You can turn around if you don’t want to watch.” Hope raised an eyebrow. There was a hint of teasing in her eyes, like maybe she wanted Lizzie to watch.

But no, Lizzie was just imagining things. “I’m going to wait over here.” She sat down on a large rock and crossed her arms, turning her head away from Hope. She was grateful it was so dark in there. Hope wouldn’t be able to see her blush.

A few minutes later a white wolf nuzzled against her leg. Lizzie sighed in relief. “It worked! Well, at least we’ve got a line of defense in case anything comes down here.” She scratched behind Hope’s ears and petted her head.

Hope retreated into the shadows again. When she came back to Lizzie, she was in human form again, thankfully clothed. “Any ideas for what to try next?”

Lizzie’s phone went dark. The battery had run out. Great. She sighed, looking up. “These walls look too slippery to climb. What about the basin? Could there be a way out through there.”

“No, the water was still, and I could feel the bottom. I think our best way out is going to be through the blocked passage.”

Lizzie glanced behind her at the wall of stones. “If we can’t even lift one of those, how are we supposed to get through?”

“Maybe if we work together.”

At this point, Lizzie was willing to try anything. They grabbed a stone near the top with both hands. It was heavy, but they managed to maneuver it out of the wall. They nearly dropped it as they moved it across the pile of rubble.

Lizzie was already out of breath, and her back hurt. “I don’t think this is going to work.”

“No, it will. We just need to keep working at it. Come on, Lizzie, this might be our only way out.”

Lizzie didn’t like that thought, but she rejoined Hope at the wall. They struggled to lift the next stone and then another. On the fifth stone, Lizzie lost her balance carrying it down. The stone slipped out of their hands, crashing onto the rubble. Lizzie fell into the pile of rocks and felt a sharp pain in her leg. She looked down to see a dagger poking out of the rocks. Its rusted edge had cut a long gash into her leg.

“Oh, my God. Lizzie, are you okay?”

“Nope,” Lizzie said, feeling like she was going to vomit. Hope helped her stagger over to a rock to sit down. “Oh, God. It’s burning.” Lizzie bit her lip. She’d never been cut this badly, and she didn’t expect it to hurt like this.

“Here, I’ve got some water bottles and bandages. I’ll wrap it up for you.”

Lizzie winced as Hope worked on bandaging her leg. She wished she had something to numb the pain. It was seeming more and more like they might die down here. The agonizing pain was worse than anything Lizzie had ever experienced. She just wanted it to end.

“Maybe my blood can help you heal.” Hope pulled a vial of red liquid out of her bag.

Lizzie took it eagerly and gulped it down. The pain didn’t stop, but it wasn’t so overwhelming anymore. She felt like she could breathe again.

Hope was pacing, suggesting plans that had no hope of working. She even tried jumping in the basin again to see if she could perform magic in the water but with no luck. Lizzie felt more hopeless than ever. She was disappointed that she wouldn’t be the one to save the day like with the kelpie. Maybe there was no happy ending to this.

“What’s that light?” Lizzie asked, pointing up. She dared not hope, but she could see a small shaft of light against the cave wall, like the sunset was sending light through a small space. At first she was sure she had imagined it, but Hope could see it too.

Hope walked over there. “There’s some stones sticking out of the wall here. Not meant to be a staircase, but I think I could climb it.”

“Do it,” Lizzie said, desperate.

Hope climbed and jumped up the stones until she reached the square of light. She hurried back down to talk to Lizzie. “There’s a hole in the rock on the other side. I think I can get around to it and squeeze through it, but you won’t be able to get up here if you’re injured. My blood isn’t healing you, like I thought it would.” She touched Lizzie’s knee. “I’m going to have to leave you for a little while. I’ll go get help. We’ll get a harness or a pulley, something to get you out of here, I promise.”

Lizzie grasped her hand. “Please don’t leave me here. The shadows will eat me.” Lizzie cried out, a new wave of pain coming over her. She knew she was speaking nonsense, but her brain was having trouble expressing her thoughts. The pain was definitely making her loopy, and she thought she saw monstrous faces in the shadows.

“It’ll be okay, Lizzie.” Hope kissed her forehead. “I’ll be back for you. Just hold out for a couple more hours.”

Lizzie nodded her head, cradling her injured leg to her chest. She heard Hope climbing up the wall again, and then stones moving as she slid out through the crack in the wall. Her body didn’t feel like it could last a couple hours, but she knew she had to try. Hope was coming back for her, and Lizzie wanted nothing more than to be safe in her arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back with another chapter! The next one is almost finished too, so I should have that posted within a week. Good thing too since this one ends on a bit of a cliffhanger.
> 
> Thanks so much for all your lovely comments and support! I'd love to hear more theories about what you think will happen next.


	6. Death Seeks to Claim You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lizzie is hallucinating in the cave when an unwelcome monster finds her.

Lizzie tried to focus on her breathing, to ground herself, but there weren’t enough things for her to see, not enough sounds to listen to or things to smell.

She was starting to see shapes moving in the shadows of the cave, voices whispering to her that she was dying. No, she couldn’t have an episode. Not now. She shut her eyes to block it all out.

It felt like the world was fading away, and Lizzie was terrified out of her mind. She screamed like a banshee as a wave of pain shot through her entire body. Something was horribly wrong. The cut must have gotten infected or something. Hope hadn’t had any antiseptic. They’d just washed it with water. Oh, God. Lizzie was going to lose her leg, wasn’t she? Lose her leg or die. Both were terrible options.

She cried out again, wailing with despair. How did the day start off so good? She’d woken up to see Hope get dressed and had saved Hope from Ethan in the town square. It felt like a distant dream she’d merely imagined.

“Elizabeth, open your eyes.”

Lizzie blinked. A face peered at her through the darkness. She struggled to get it into focus, and when she did, she backed up off the rock, scraping her hands on the stony ground. 

She tried to blink away the image of him. “Oh, no. I knew Hope shouldn't have left me alone. Now I'm seeing things again.”

“You are not imagining anything. I am real, Elizabeth.”

It was bad enough when the kelpie took Sebastian’s form, but now that she knew it was her own crazy mind this time, she felt a horrible sickness in her stomach. “Go away. I don’t need to imagine you anymore.”

“Why is that?”

“There’s someone else I have feelings for. And unlike you, she’s actually real.” She tried to push him away, but he grabbed her hands, interlacing his fingers with hers.

“Ah, you enjoy the company of men and women. We have that in common, Elizabeth.” He smiled that charming smile that no real person could possess.

“If I’m going to die here, at least make me feel better.” She glared at the illusion.

Sebastian reached for her leg. “May I see?”

She straightened her leg as much as she could, wincing through the pain. This was all some stupid hallucination anyway. Not like he could make her feel any worse.

Sebastian unwrapped the bandage and sniffed the air deeply. The whites of his eyes went red and black veins extended underneath his eyes. His fangs appeared and he bit into Lizzie’s leg.

Now that pain felt very real. Lizzie screamed. She couldn’t lift her head anymore. She was too weak. He had her in a viselike grip, and she found she couldn’t move her body. “Help! Somebody help me!” she screamed, even though she knew it was hopeless.

Maybe it was some other vampire, and she was only imagining Sebastian in her delusional state. Hope was right. Screaming for help only invited in more danger. She should have listened to her. She should have—

There was a cracking sound.

Lizzie looked up in time to see Sebastian fall to the ground, his neck snapped. Kaleb stood behind him, and MG was at her side asking if she was okay. She was too relieved to be angry at him. Lizzie’s mind felt clearer now. The pain wasn’t so overwhelming. She looked over at the vampire on the ground, expecting to see its true face, but it was still the face of Sebastian.

“What’s going on?” she asked. “Are you guys really here? How did you find me?”

MG bit his lip. “We were out hunting this vampire, and we heard you screaming for help. I recognized your voice right away. When we got here, this creep was feeding on you.” He jerked a thumb at the vampire on the ground.

“Well, what are you waiting for? Cut off his head.”

“We were planning to interrogate him first,” MG said.

Kaleb pulled out a set of shackles and secured them around the vampire’s wrists.

“I don’t understand,” Lizzie said. “Why does he look exactly like Sebastian? Is it a demon that can take the face of your worst nightmare?”

MG and Kaleb exchanged a look.

MG sighed, holding onto Lizzie’s hand. “I’ve been trying to get in touch with you, but you’ve been ignoring my messages. This  _ is _ Sebastian. He was real all along, Lizzie. Well, real in a sense. His body was desiccated, and long story short he was trying to use you to restore his body. Only you could see him at the time, then once you thought he wasn’t real, he couldn’t appear to you anymore. So he appeared to me and tried to get me to help, but Kaleb tricked him into admitting he’s a cold-blooded killer, so we were just going to leave him to rot, but he managed to get Wade to feed him some of his blood. Wade’s okay, but still. We didn’t want a killer like Sebastian on the loose.”

Lizzie breathed deep, trying to take it all in. So last night in the woods, that wasn’t the kelpie at all. Sebastian had appeared to her again, in the flesh. Or wait. He had blood on his lips. That must have been right after he fed on Wade.

“Okay,” Lizzie said, nodding her head. “That’s a lot. Can we get out of here somehow?”

“Yeah, come on. I’ll carry you,” MG said. “Wrap your arms around my neck.”

Lizzie held onto him, and he put his arms under her and picked her up bridal style. A moment later they were outside on the grass. The moon was high in the sky, which had a purplish hue, streaked with wispy grey clouds. It was hauntingly beautiful. Lizzie had never been so happy to see the night sky.

MG set her against a boulder and sat next to her.

“I’ll call Dr. S,” Kaleb said after setting down Sebastian.

Lizzie turned her head towards MG so she didn’t have to look at the lying vampire. “I’m so sorry I ignored all your texts, MG. I was upset. You made me think I was crazy.”

“I was just trying to look out for you, Lizzie. You’d already told all your friends about Sebastian. If you’d tried to show off your invisible boyfriend, everyone would be talking about you. I didn’t want that to happen to you.”

Lizzie nodded. She could imagine how horrible that would be. “Well, I am definitely over that lying, deceiving vampire. He has made it to the top of my enemies list.”

“Oh, yeah. You dropped this.” MG held out a small metal box. It looked old with symbols on it that looked a lot like the ones on the wall of the cave.

“Thank you,” Lizzie said, taking it from him and tucking it into her pocket. It wasn’t hers, but she wondered if maybe, just maybe it could be the weapon they were looking for. She’d have to show it to Hope later. If was the weapon, then maybe their disastrous trip was worth all the trouble.

“Dr. S says he’s already on the way,” Kaleb said. “Apparently someone named Hope went to get him.”

“Oh, yeah.” Lizzie had forgotten that MG and Kaleb didn’t remember who Hope was. “She goes to Mystic Falls High. We were hiking today when we fell into that cave.”

“You were hiking. Willingly?” Kaleb asked, brow raised.

“Yes. I like the outdoors,” Lizzie said, offended. “Anyways, she’s a witch.”

“Really? I thought I smelled werewolf.” Kaleb laughed.

“Oh, well, she’s a werewolf too.”

“A werewitch,” MG said, snorting. “Now _ that  _ I’ve got to see.”

Lizzie glared at him, annoyed that the boys kept interrupting her. “While we were hiking, we fell into that cave, and our magic wouldn’t work in there. I got injured, but we managed to find a way out. I sent her to get my dad so he could help.”

MG nodded. “I’m glad you had a friend coming to rescue you. If we’d just caught Sebastian sooner…”

Kaleb smacked his shoulder. “Hey, you can’t be blaming yourself. If he had just gone after Kym right away, we wouldn’t be in this mess. Anyways, I told Kym to head home. She’s disappointed she didn’t get to capture Sebastian herself.” Kaleb shook his head. “Girl gets way too into these things.”

“Who’s Kym?” Lizzie asked.

“Kaleb’s sister,” MG said.

Lizzie felt the mother of all headaches forming in her temples. She leaned her head on MG’s shoulder. “Oh, sorry.”

“No, it’s okay. If you need a shoulder to rest your head on, I got you.”

Lizzie smiled, grateful, and nestled her head on his shoulder. “You’re the best, MG. And you too, Kaleb. You guys saved me.” Normally Lizzie didn’t like to be the damsel in distress who needed a knight in shining armor, but for tonight, she was willing to make an exception. She really thought she was going to die down there.

MG wrapped his arm around her and rubbed her shoulder. She relaxed into his embrace, feeling safe and warm. She drifted off for a little while, but her eyes fluttered open when a bright light pressed against her eyelids.

Her dad’s van had arrived. Hope stepped out of the passenger side. She met Lizzie’s eyes. A wave of sadness seemed to pass over Hope. Maybe she was disappointed that she couldn’t be the hero. It only lasted a moment before Hope smiled and ran over to her.

“I’m so glad you’re okay, Lizzie. It’s all my fault we got into this mess.”

Lizzie squeezed Hope’s hand. “It’s okay. We both made it out alive. And we discovered the pit of doom. Today definitely qualifies as an adventure.”

Her dad appeared next to Hope and pulled Lizzie into a hug. “Aw, sweetie, I’m so sorry you had to go through that. How is your leg?”

“It’s okay,” Lizzie said. “Not bleeding anymore. MG rewrapped it.” She gave him a grateful smile.

MG beamed, tucking in his chin. “It was no problem, Lizzie.”

“Where’s the vampire that bit her?” Alaric whirled around.

Kaleb lifted Sebastian under his arms and brought him over and placed him against a boulder. His eyes were closed, his neck still at a funny angle.

"What do we do with Sebastian?" MG asked.

"I say we burn him at the stake,” Alaric said. “Chain him to a tree and let the sun roast him."

Kaleb stepped in. “Whoa, Dr. S. Isn’t that way harsh and a little archaic?”

“And downright cruel,” MG added.

“I’m sorry, but that vampire fed on my daughter. You think I want him walking the streets?”

“Shouldn’t we at least take him back to school and have a trial or something?” MG suggested. “Me and Kaleb have both fed on humans before. Just because he picked your daughter doesn’t mean you should treat him differently.”

“I was not feeding on her,” came a surly voice. They all turned to look at Sebastian. He was sitting up, his shackled hands in his lap. “She had poison in her leg. Stramonium, one of the most powerful poisons known to man. I was merely sucking out the poison. If not for me, Elizabeth Saltzman would be dead. Honestly, you should be thanking me."

“You’re a cold-blooded killer,” MG said. “Why should we believe anything you say?”

“My dear turnip, you call yourself a vampire?  Can’t you smell it? I managed to suck all the poison out of Elizabeth, but it still lingers in the cave. You can smell it from here if you know how to work that nose of yours.”

Kaleb sniffed the air, then waved his hand in front of his face. “Dude is right. That shit is nasty.”

MG coughed. “I think I’m going to be sick. That stuff was in her? Seriously?”

“I risked my life by sucking it out of her,” Sebastian said. “The poison is just as effective on vampires. I was already starting to hallucinate when you two turnips arrived. Thankfully, I managed to spit it out just before you snapped my neck.” He shot a dangerous glare at Kaleb.

Lizzie was too exhausted to try to figure out if all the facts lined up. She really had felt like she was dying, so she believed the part about the poison at least. She’d been hallucinating and speaking nonsense even before Sebastian showed up. That was how that particular poison worked. Stramonium, better known as Jimson weed.

“Death seeks to claim you, Elizabeth. I prevented it tonight, but you’d be wise to be more cautious next time.” Sebastian said, raising an eyebrow.

Lizzie shifted uncomfortably. “Don’t be creepy. It was just really bad luck. Not like we went into that cave on purpose.”

“No, but you were drawn there, weren’t you? Just as you were drawn to me.”

Lizzie rubbed her arm. They had been following the map. It was the map that led them there, not some mystical cursed dagger that wanted to poison her. That was just ridiculous, wasn’t it?

“That’s enough,” MG cut in. “Can’t you see she’s shaken by what happened? You’re just making things worse.”

Sebastian shrugged. “Maybe, but I want her to believe that I saved her. I did something good in my life for once, and I’d like a little credit. Is that too much to ask?”

“Thank you. For saving me,” Lizzie said in a rush.

She still wasn’t sure how to feel about this new development. Sebastian had made her think she was crazy. Was saving her life his way of making it up to her? Should she forgive him? Or maybe he wasn’t taking as big a risk as he claimed. Maybe it was only a little poison that got into her, and he was enjoying her sweet blood after removing that little bit.

It was hard to tell what she should believe. But it was clear that they couldn’t kill Sebastian tonight. They could lock him up somewhere for the night, maybe in her dad’s old office at the Salvatore school, and deal with interrogating him tomorrow.

Her dad agreed to locking Sebastian up for the night. Kaleb and MG would take turns watching him, and then they would all meet up in the morning at the Salvatore school to get more information out of him. Her dad roped off the area where the Hope and Lizzie had fallen into the cave so hopefully no one else would end up down there. Unless of course they needed a place to trap a witch.

Hope helped Lizzie get into her dad’s van. She was still a little wobbly from the whole ordeal. They were going to drop Hope off at her apartment, and then Lizzie would go home with her dad. He had an old friend coming to meet them to check Lizzie for signs of the poison and help clean up the gash on her leg. 

“How are you feeling?” Hope asked. They were both in the backseat this time.

“Not great, but definitely better than in the cave. I’m going to be okay, Hope.” She gave her a small smile.

Hope smiled back. “I’m glad, Lizzie.  You had me so scared. ”

“Oh, Hope, there’s something I wanted to ask you.” Lizzie took a deep breath. After almost dying, she was determined that she couldn’t waste her life anymore. It was time to seize the day and woman up. “Are you going to Commonwealth Day?”

“I don’t know. It’s not really my thing.”

Lizzie’s heart sank. “Oh, okay. Well, if you change your mind, maybe we could go together. I mean, if you didn’t want to go alone.” Lizzie covered her cheeks, embarrassed. God, why was it so hard to ask her out?

Hope shook her head. “Thanks, but you should really go with MG.”

Lizzie opened her mouth to say she didn’t want to go with MG, but the car pulled to a stop. Hope rushed out of the car, giving Lizzie a wave, and closed the door. Lizzie watched as she disappeared into her apartment.

“You know, it might have been better to walk her to the door and ask her once you were alone,” Alaric said.

She glared at her dad. “Well, sorry that I suck  at asking out girls . I literally have no experience with this one.”

Alaric smiled. “That’s okay, Lizzie. But honestly, I don’t think that’s why she said no. When we arrived, you were looking awfully close with MG.”

“We’re just friends,” Lizzie argued.

“Yes, but Hope doesn’t know that. And to the outside gaze, it looked a lot like you two were together. Why do you think she told you to take MG? It was very much her way of saying ‘take your boyfriend instead of your friend because you feel sorry for me.’”

“How do you know Hope so well?”

Alaric raised an eyebrow. “Good question. I don’t remember anything from before she jumped into Malivore, but I still get the sense that the memories are hidden underneath. Sometimes I just know things about Hope without knowing how I know them.”

Lizzie nodded. It made a lot of sense, even if it sounded strange. “Have I blown my chances with her?”

Alaric laughed. “Not at all, sweetie. She was jealous of you and MG. I think that’s a big sign that she likes you. Now come on, let’s get you home and looked after. You can ask her out again tomorrow after we interrogate Teen Dracula.”

Lizzie sighed, so relieved that she was getting a tomorrow. Back in the cave, it felt like her life would be over. The near death experience really put things into perspective for her and only renewed her determination to ask out Hope. Next time she wouldn’t be such an idiot about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think of the vampires coming to the rescue? I thought it would be fun to tie in this chapter with MG and Kaleb hunting Sebastian. I'm really pleased with how it turned out. Lizzie has no reason to be pissed at MG so their friendship can thrive and Sebastian still sort of redeems himself.
> 
> Next chapter will be Commonwealth Day. Lizzie and Hope will both be taking dates, though not each other. Who do you think it will be?


	7. A Monster Is Taunting Us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Sebastian's trial, Dorian arrives with news that a monster has killed someone and left a threatening note. Dr. Saltzman has them all pair up to patrol Commonwealth Day. Lizzie goes to extremes to protect Hope.

It would be great if Lizzie could figure out how to open the damn thing. The box MG had found in the cave was proving to be annoying. Every time she tried to siphon the magic protecting the box, it would blast her backwards, which was definitely not good for her healing body. 

She would show it to Hope later and see if she had any ideas. For now, Lizzie had to get ready to go to the school. Her father had called a meeting of the “super squad” so they could have their trial for Sebastian. She hoped they sentenced him to another five hundred years desiccated in a box.

He had come very close to killing her, and she couldn’t forgive him for making her think she was crazy. At least MG had tried to let her know after he found out.

She didn’t have a lot of cute clothes at her dad’s house, but she had a pair of high-waisted jeans that made her think of Hope. She paired those with a lavender shirt and high top canvas shoes.

They picked up Hope on the way to the school. Since her phone was destroyed, Alaric had to explain the situation to her in person while they drove to the school.

“The blood of a tribrid. Your blood,” Alaric said. “It didn’t heal Lizzie, but it slowed down the poison enough for that vampire to arrive and suck it out.”

Hope looked over at Lizzie, eyes filled with concern. “Are you feeling okay today?”

“Yeah,” Lizzie said, rubbing her arm. She was still weak from blood loss, but there was no more excruciating pain, and she wasn’t hallucinating anymore.

“I should have noticed you were poisoned,” Hope said quietly.

Lizzie shook her head. “It wouldn’t have made a difference if you knew. You couldn’t have sucked out the poison. We needed a vampire for that.”

“But I could have stayed. We could have yelled for help like you suggested. Maybe Sebastian still would have come and saved you.” Hope said the last two words like they left a bad taste in her mouth.

“There’s no use dwelling on what could have happened,” Lizzie said, sighing. It would have been very easy for things to go wrong. She knew how close to death she’d been. She’d felt it. _ Death seeks to claim you. _Sebastian’s words still haunted her, and she couldn’t help but worry she was cursed.

—

MG and Kaleb were already there when they got to Dr. Saltzman’s old office. MG came over right away to ask Lizzie how she was doing.

“I’m fine.” Lizzie cut a sideways glance at Hope, but she wasn’t even looking in her direction. She couldn’t tell if she was jealous that Lizzie was talking to MG or not.

“Thank goodness. I was so worried about you.”

“Would you stop with that inane flirting?” came the drawling voice of Sebastian. The old vampire raised his eyebrows at them, shaking his head as if trying to get them to understand something. “Clearly Elizabeth does not fancy you, Milton.”

MG shot him a glare. “Mind your business. You’re the one on trial here.”

Lizzie glanced over at Sebastian, and he shot her a smile, but it wasn’t the flirty smile she’d been expecting. Lizzie’s face turned red as she remembered that she’d told him that she liked a girl when she thought he was just a hallucination. He had correctly worked it out that it was Hope, and now he was trying to do Lizzie a favor.

She shot him a glare. She didn’t need favors from bloodthirsty vampires, no matter how many times they saved her life. But still, she was relieved that he wasn’t actively pursuing her anymore.

Rafael, Landon, and Josie all arrived together. Lizzie was glad for the distraction, but then she remembered that she and Josie were still fighting. And that Josie hated Hope. This was going to be a long day.

“Why is she here?” Josie asked, shooting a glare at Hope.

“Because she was there in the cave with me before Sebastian attacked.”

Josie snorted, looking Hope up and down. “Guess she wasn’t much help.”

“She left to get Dad. I was alone when Sebastian arrived.”

“So there’s no need for her to be here?” Josie said, raising her chin.

Alaric put a hand on Hope’s shoulder. “Her blood helped slow down the poison. She saved Lizzie’s life.”

“Her blood? What’s so special about it?”

Hope grimaced. “That’s enough with the questions. Are we going to start this trial or what?” She gestured at the glowering vampire that was chained to the wall.

“We’re just waiting for Dorian,” Alaric said. He pulled out his phone, and his eyebrows scrunched together. “Oh, he says he’s running late and that we should start without him.”

“Thank God,” Lizzie said, ready for this trial to be over with. Sebastian needed to be punished for his crimes.

Alaric had Sebastian stand up for the trial. He was pouting like a misbehaved child, not a guilty man whose life was on the line.

Alaric updated them on what his friend had found out when she’d examined Lizzie. She was indeed poisoned with Jimson weed and would have died if Sebastian hadn’t arrived when he did.

“Last night I sent Kaleb to retrieve the dagger, without touching it, of course,” Alaric said. “We tested it and determined that it had enough of that poison to kill everyone at the Salvatore school. You did save my daughter’s life, Sebastian, and for that reason I have decided to show mercy on you.”

“I am free to go?” Sebastian asked.

Lizzie couldn’t believe it. Her father couldn’t just let him off scot-free!

“Not quite. I can’t have a self-professed killer who has already fed on two students roaming the town of Mystic Falls. You will be enrolled in the Salvatore school as a student. It comes with room and board, meals, classes, but you will be restricted to the Salvatore school grounds unless you are accompanied by a chaperone. Can you agree to those terms?”

Sebastian curled his lip. “It does sound rather limiting, but far greater than the alternative. Fine, I agree to your terms.”

“Now, you are cleared from attacking Lizzie, but you are not cleared from attacking Wade. You will help us with anything we need until I feel you’ve worked off your crime. Call it community service. If you feed on humans, more time will be added. And Kaleb can tell you where we’ll put you if you don’t stop feeding on humans. I’m sure you don’t want a zombie as a cellmate.”

Kaleb snorted, giving Sebastian a taunting smile.

“MG and Kaleb will keep a close eye on you. Don’t think you can run.”

“I have no desire to run,” Sebastian assured him.

Lizzie didn’t believe him. What reason would he have to stay here? He could feed anywhere, and it was far easier to feed in towns that weren’t surrounded by supernatural creatures. He was obviously up to something. She could see in her dad’s eyes that he knew it too. She realized what he was doing. Make Sebastian think he could roam freely and watch him until he made a mistake. That was the only way they could find out what he was up to. Hopefully the risk would be worth it.

The doors flung open, and Dorian arrived, panting. “Thank goodness, you’re all still here. We’ve got a problem, Ric.”

“What is it?’

“A dead politician. The councilman who was sponsoring Commonwealth Day. He was attacked by a monster. Alyssa Chang found the body this morning. I cleaned it up before the sheriff could find out about it, but that means we have a monster on the loose.”

They all turned to look at Sebastian.

“It wasn’t me,” Sebastian said, raising his cuffed hands. “Just ask Milton. He was watching me all night long.” He smirked at the vampire.

MG went red in the face. “He didn’t leave this room.”

“You sure you didn’t fall asleep?” Alaric asked.

“I’m positive, Dr. S. It’s impossible to sleep with him yapping on about his tragic life. He didn’t get out of here.”

“And the zombie’s still in the cell,” Kaleb said. “I checked an hour ago.”

“Which means there’s another monster,” Dorian said.

“But I thought that Malivore could only send them one at a time,” Hope said.

“Maybe we were wrong,” Landon said.

Josie looked at him in disbelief. “Don’t take her side. It’s probably just another vampire. We don’t need to get worked up about nothing.”

“Well, if it’s a vampire, it’s a dangerous one,” Dorian said. He pulled a note out of his pocket. “The monster left this behind.”

They all gathered around to read the note. It was written in elegant, slanted cursive.

_ Commonwealth Day sounds like a fun place to play. I’ll feast and I’ll dine until the humans are mine. Clock is ticking, the town’s mine for the picking. When darkness falls, I will devour them all. _

_ -R _

Lizzie scoffed. “Oh, great. A monster is taunting us.”

“What does it say?” Sebastian asked, still chained up.

MG walked over and unchained him from the wall, but he left the shackles on his wrists. He pulled him by the collar of his shirt over to read the note.

Sebastian’s eyes went wide. “That handwriting looks familiar, but I can’t place it.”

“Well, yeah, if it was a monster who went into Malivore, you wouldn’t remember them,” Lizzie said, rolling her eyes.

“Ah, what exactly is this Malivore?”

Everyone looked at each other. None of them had realized that Sebastian didn’t know anything about Malivore. Lizzie couldn’t figure out if he was pretending not to know to appear innocent, or if he really didn’t know because no one had told him. She certainly hadn’t mentioned Malivore to him when she was flirting with him.

Lizzie looked at MG. “You didn’t fill him in? I thought you said you were talking all night.”

MG shrugged. “It was mostly him going on about the past. Some Cassandra chick he was obsessed with.”

“In love with,” Sebastian corrected.

MG snorted. “One-sided, I’m sure. A girl who loves you wouldn’t desiccate you and stick you in a box, that’s all I’m saying. Anyways, I have a hard time imagining anyone falling in love with you.”

Sebastian looked him up and down. “Likewise.”

Kaleb shot them both a glare and went on to explain Malivore to Sebastian in the quick spark notes version. And then Alaric announced that he had a plan. They all gathered around to hear what he had to say.

“You will all be attending Commonwealth Day. We’ll use the buddy system, so pair up with a date. Sebastian, this will be your first mission to atone for what you did.”

Sebastian raised an eyebrow. “Forgive me, doctor, but that is going to be a problem. It’s daylight.”

“We aren’t going until the evening. That’s when the note said the monster would attack. Hurry up and find a date.”

Josie linked her arm through Landon’s, claiming her date. Landon pushed Rafael towards Hope, gesturing for him to ask her.

Oh, hell no. Hope and Rafael could not happen. Lizzie was about to stop this madness when MG stepped in front of her.

“Do you want to pair up with me?” he asked, smiling.

“We always pair up together for these things. I was wanting to go with someone else this time.” Lizzie looked around for someone not partnered up. Rafael and Hope had paired up, much to her dismay. The only options left were Sebastian and Kaleb. That made things easy. “Kaleb, want to team up for this?”

Kaleb looked at Lizzie and then at MG, unsure.

“Oh, come on. I’m not that scary,” Lizzie said, crossing her arms. She lifted her eyebrow in a challenge.

“I ain’t afraid of you.” Kaleb nodded his head. “Okay, let’s do this.”

MG looked disappointed as he walked over to Sebastian. Lizzie tried not to feel too guilty about it. If she agreed to go with MG, she’d just be leading him on, and then Hope would think she was really interested in MG. Going with him would’ve been a lose-lose. It was much better to go with Kaleb.

—

Commonwealth Day had a bigger turnout than Lizzie was expecting. So many people, all potential victims of the monster. They didn’t even know exactly what they were looking for, but they were all on high alert, eager to slay this monster before more bloodshed.

Well, mostly everyone was on high alert. Landon and Josie were busy flirting with each other, and Rafael was trying to flirt with Hope, much to Lizzie’s annoyance. At least Kaleb wasn’t trying to flirt with her. He was being a good friend and staying on task while they walked around, patrolling the celebration.

Maya squealed when she saw her. She came over to give her a hug. “Can I borrow her for a second?” she asked Kaleb.

He shrugged. “I’ll just be over here.”

Lizzie followed Maya to a table. They sat down and Maya leaned in close. “So how are things going with Hope?”

“Nowhere,” Lizzie said, sighing in resignation. “She’s on a date with this guy I slept with once. It is beyond awkward.”

“Yikes, sounds awkward.” Maya pulled out her phone. “Hey, do you think I could get your number? I’d love to get to know you better.”

Lizzie felt her cheeks heating up. She still wasn’t sure if Maya was flirting with her. If she was, it didn’t bother her. Honestly she would be flattered, but Maya was just an ordinary human. Maybe if she was a witch or a werewolf or something, she would consider it, but she didn’t want to waste her time on humans. Besides, she liked Hope more than anyone else. She at least had to find out if she had a chance with Hope before trying to date someone else.

“We could chat about Hope all you want,” Maya said with a smile. “I promise I won’t tell her anything you say. I’m team Lizzie. One hundred percent.”

Lizzie sighed with relief. “Sure.” She gave her the digits. It would be nice to have a friend to talk to about her crush. She would have talked to Josie, but with everything going on right now, that wasn’t really an option. And she was getting tired of going to her dad for advice on Hope.

“Well, I’ll let you get back to your friend.” She nodded at Kaleb, who was glaring daggers into her. “I don’t think he likes me very much.”

“I think he’s just hungry,” Lizzie said before she could think about what she was saying. “You know, because hunger makes people cranky.”

Maya nodded. She didn’t seem to realize Lizzie had said anything strange. Thank goodness.

“See you later, kitty cat.”

“Bye.”

Lizzie walked over to Kaleb. “Do you need to head back to school for a snack?”

“What? No. I’m fine. I brought some to go.” He tapped his pocket.

“Then go find somewhere discreet to drink that. You need to have your head in the game for this fight.”

“If the monster even shows. It’s already been an hour, and we haven’t seen anything suspicious.”

“It could be waiting for the right moment. We can’t let our guard down. Kaleb, listen to me. If this monster does start attacking and there are bleeding victims on the ground, you can’t let yourself get tempted. Drink up now.”

“MG and Sebastian are the ones you should be worried about. I’ll be fine.”

Lizzie gave him a look. “Please, Kaleb. It’ll make me feel better.”

He lifted his hands. “Fine, I’ll go drink some bunny blood. I think I can slip some into the punch.” He nodded to a table and disappeared into the crowd.

Lizzie sighed and crossed her arms. She could already feel a headache forming in her temples. After yesterday’s ordeal, she really wasn’t fit to be fighting, but she couldn’t bear to sit out while her friends were in danger.

“Boys are the worst, aren’t they?”

Lizzie jumped. She didn’t expect Hope to come up beside her. “What?”

Hope nodded over to MG, who was flirting with a black girl in a pretty dress. “I guess he’s trying to get back at you for taking someone else as your date. Though I think it was smart not to take your real boyfriend. Josie and Landon have been completely useless since they’ve just been flirting the whole time.”

“I’m not dating MG,” Lizzie said. “I’m not even into him. He’s just a really good friend.”

“What about Sebastian? You were dating him when you were the only person who could see him.”

“Ugh, there’s no way I’d ever date him again.” Lizzie couldn’t believe Hope would even suggest that. “He sucked my blood, Hope. I don’t care if he was doing it to save my life, but it was the most scared I’ve ever been in my life. I’ll never forgive him for that.” She looked around at the people, and then back at MG. “Wait, wasn’t Sebastian supposed to be MG’s date? Where did he go?”

Hope looked around. “Damn it. Text your dad and let him know. I’ll see if I can find him.”

“Yeah.” Lizzie looked over her shoulder at Rafael and Kaleb. They were standing by the punch table talking and laughing, completely oblivious to the missing vampire. She sent a quick text to her dad and headed over to the boys to let them know. They were quick to rush off into the crowd.

Lizzie leaned against a tree, looking around for Hope. A hand grasped her arm, and she jumped. She turned to see Sebastian clutching his stomach. Red blood was pooling down his fingers.

“What happened to you?”

“The monster,” Sebastian choked out. “I don’t remember the blasted creature, but it remembers me. Some sort of personal vengeance for something I did, I think.”

“But you’re a vampire. You’ll heal in no time.”

Sebastian smiled, wincing through the pain. “Yes, but the monster didn’t know that. It’s someone I knew from before I turned. Which means it’s probably an old lover. I’m going to hide while I heal, but you need to get your friends to search for the monster.”

“What does it look like?”

“Long curly brown hair, eyes dark as night, and a large black hat.”

“That describes half of the people here. It’s Commonwealth Day. Be more specific.”

“You’ll know the monster when you see it, trust me. It is the most beautiful creature to walk this earth.” Sebastian flitted away at super speed, and Lizzie turned to find Hope behind her.

“Hey, did you find anything?” Hope asked.

“Yeah, the monster is some sort of seductress. We’re looking for the most beautiful woman here.”

“Well, I don’t think we have to look very hard,” Hope said, laughing.

Lizzie’s heart raced in her chest. She was flirting, wasn’t she? Lizzie tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “We have to tell the others to look for the monster. We’re wasting our time with Sebastian. He’s not the one killing people.”

“How do you know?”

Hope was right. How _ did _ she know? Sebastian could have easily injured himself to trick her into believing he was the victim. But if he was right, then most of the men and a handful of women at this event were in danger. They had to take that chance.

Lizzie alerted the others to the change in plans, and she walked around with Hope, keeping her eyes out for a beautiful woman. No one really stood out as supernaturally beautiful though. She was starting to get frustrated.

“Maybe it’s already left,” she said.

“We have to keep looking. It wouldn’t leave a threatening note and then just leave without attacking anyone. Monsters don’t change their minds like that.”

“You’re right. Sorry, let’s keep looking.” She was certainly off her game tonight. She looked across at the crowd of people.

Lizzie spotted Ethan rushing towards them, another bouquet of flowers in his uninjured arm. He was looking right at Hope, his face filled with determination. Lizzie forgot the monster and where they were. All she could think about was protecting Hope.

She pushed Hope against a nearby tree, running her fingers through her hair and kissing that sweet mouth of hers. Shivers ran through her as Hope’s hands ran along her back and pulled her closer. She kissed her like she was the only thing that mattered in the world, her tongue engaging in a dance with Hope’s.

Lizzie felt like she would melt on the spot. Happiness bubbled through her, and she knew without a doubt this wasn’t kissing between two friends. Hope felt something for her, even if it was just sexual attraction. Right now Lizzie couldn’t be bothered to care whether Hope wanted to date her or not.

It had been too long since their first kiss, and now Lizzie felt like she couldn’t get enough of her. She took Hope’s bottom lip between her teeth and tugged at it playfully, then kissed the corner of her mouth. Hope’s fingers dug into her hair and Hope pulled Lizzie closer to her. The roots of the tree enabled her to stand at nearly Lizzie’s height. Everything was perfect and warm and bright and the kissing was so nice.

A hand tapped on Lizzie’s shoulder. “May I cut in?”

Lizzie whirled around, ready to punch Ethan for interrupting. But it wasn’t him. It was a tall man in a wide-brimmed hat. He was striking, the most handsome man she’d ever seen in her life, with dark eyes and shoulder-length curly hair. She knew at once that this was the monster they were after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another cliffhanger. Next chapter should be up within a week! Hope and Lizzie finally kissed again. It's been so long since they kissed in chapter 1. Of course they would get interrupted by a monster in typical Legacies fashion.
> 
> Now that you've got a peek at the monster, what kind do you think it is?


	8. Do You Mind If I Stay?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lizzie and Hope corner the monster and learn its connection to Sebastian.

Lizzie had just assumed a monster with long hair who Sebastian considered the most beautiful creature to walk the earth would be a woman. But now she remembered what he’d said in the cave. He was interested in men as well as women.

Now this beautiful monster wanted to kiss Hope. Lizzie wasn’t about to let that happen, but she needed a plan to draw him away from the crowd.

“Why cut in when you can join us?” Lizzie asked.

Hope gave her an incredulous look.

Lizzie hoped she could see the “trust me” in her eyes. She took the monster’s hand and led him away from the crowd of onlookers. Her reputation was already a mess. Who cared if people thought Lizzie was about to go have a threesome with Hope and a handsome stranger?

She didn’t stop until they reached an alleyway far from the town square and away from prying eyes. “This seems like a good spot, doesn’t it?”

The monster grinned. “It’s perfect. I am in a foul mood, and you two are just the delicious treats I need to make me feel better.”

He moved to kiss her, and she leaned towards him like she wanted it, then she blasted him backwards with magic she siphoned from Hope. The monster crashed into the dumpster, but he was fast, agile. He got up like nothing had happened.

“Oh, I see how it is. You like it rough, don’t you?”

Hope blasted him with fire magic, but he merely patted the flames away.  “Fire won’t work on water types, deary.”

“Water types?  What are you, a pokemon?” Lizzie taunted.

“I do not know the meaning of that word. Allow me to introduce myself.” He spread his arms wide and bowed to them. “I am the Encantado.” He smirked, waiting for their response.

Hope and Lizzie exchanged a look, but neither of them knew what that was. Such was the case with most Malivore monsters.

“You may also know me as the boto.”

Still nothing.

“I am a river dolphin. The only of my kind who can transform into a human at night. I seduce people with my charms and—”

“So basically a succubus?”

His lip twitched. “Not at all. Succubi are females. You could call me a type of incubus perhaps, but I am no succubus.”

Well, at least Lizzie had heard of an incubus. They usually preyed on people during their sleep, perhaps why this creature could only transform at night. That must mean he attacked that politician late last night and left his message for them. He might have only had time to kill one person if he came out of the portal close to dawn.

“Do you have a name?” Lizzie asked.

“Of course. Do not insult me. My name is Renzo. I was happy with my life until that black darkness swallowed me up. Now my great love acts as if he does not know me.”

“That’s because he doesn’t,” Lizzie said. “That place you went. It’s called Malivore. This monster swallows up other monsters. It’s like a prison for monsters, or a hell dimension. But once you get swallowed up, everyone on earth forgets you ever existed.”

Renzo frowned, running a shaky hand through his hair. “So, you mean to tell me that Sebastian has forgotten my existence? Everything we had together?”

“Sebastian?” Hope asked in surprise.

“Yes, we were going to run away to the New World together. And now I’ve killed him. Oh, God.” The monster sank to his knees, sobbing.

Lizzie and Hope exchanged an uncertain look.

“Well, um, you didn’t kill him,” Lizzie said. “He’s already dead. He’s a vampire.”

Renzo looked up, eyes shining with tears. “You mean it?”

“Yes, she does.” Sebastian appeared at the end of the alleyway. He’d clearly been listening to the whole conversation. He walked over to them but stopped a few yards away. “But I’m sorry, Renzo. I don’t remember you, and I fell in love after we met.”

Renzo hung his head, looking disappointed.

“My previous lover is dead though. She has been for nearly five hundred years. I confess, I do not know much about how this Malivore place works. If there is a way to free you or keep you from returning there, I will do my best to make sure you can avoid that torment. And maybe we could get to know each other once more.”

Renzo stood up, hopeful.

“Wait a moment,” Hope said. “He’s an incubus, a dangerous monster. He killed a councilman. Murder has consequences here. We can’t just let him roam free.”

“In my defense, I didn’t plan to kill him. I merely asked him where I could find Sebastian, and he was so rude to me that I figured I would be doing the world a favor if I got rid of him.”

Lizzie remembered how rude the councilman had been to Ethan while they were preparing for Commonwealth Day. Well, while Lizzie and Hope were hiding from Ethan under the table. He definitely came across as more of a monster than Renzo did, but that still didn’t excuse murder. And he’d left a note threatening to kill dozens more. Not to mention he’d attempted to kill Sebastian, but Lizzie didn’t care so much about that part. It was just a pity he’d failed.

“What about that threatening note?” she asked.

“The message I left behind was for Sebastian. It used to be a game between us. Poetry about where to meet. I felt his presence here. We are soul-bonded, you could say.”

“You left a love poem next to a dead body?” Lizzie asked, disgusted.

“Well, yes. I figured he would be the first to find it. That’s how we first met, in fact. He always had a talent for finding dead bodies. It seems now he has a talent for making them.” He shot Sebastian a flirtatious smile.

Sebastian smiled back. “I shall ask the doctor to allow him to come to the school with me. He can go through a trial as I did. He deserves a chance to change, doesn’t he? I am getting one, and I can assure you I have killed far more than any incubus could.”

Renzo raised an eyebrow. “I doubt that.”

“Arguing about who has killed the most people doesn’t really help your case. We’ll capture him for now and see what my father has to say.” Lizzie pulled some loose chains from a door in the alleyway and wrapped them around Renzo’s wrists. She used magic to bind them.

“Where will you take him?” Sebastian asked.

“Back to the school. He can keep the zombie company in the dungeon.”

Sebastian nodded. “You know he will kill the zombie though.”

Lizzie shrugged. She didn’t really care if he did that. Hopefully keeping one monster alive would stop others from coming through the portal. “You’ll turn into a dolphin at sunrise? Dolphins breathe air, right?”

“You’re a dolphin?” Sebastian asked in surprise, raising an eyebrow.

“Only during the day.” Renzo shrugged. “The cell will be sufficient for tonight, but I need water to stay hydrated during the day.”

“We’ll get you a bathtub or something,” Lizzie said. Surely they had a kiddie pool lying around in a storage closet somewhere.

“What about Landon?” Hope asked.

Lizzie groaned. “Do you have to bring him up every five seconds?”

Hope looked hurt. “Sorry, it’s just, the monsters have been after him, but this guy doesn’t seem to want to go after him.”

“I have no interest in any Landon,” Renzo said. “Sebastian will find a way to free me, I am certain of it.”

Hope raised her eyebrows. “Okay, then. Well, that’s a plan. Lizzie, can you text everyone and update them on what happened?”

“Yeah, sure.” Lizzie typed as fast as she could. She made a few typos, but hopefully it would still get the point across.

—

Josie had been using their shared car lately, but Lizzie decided her need for it was greater. She texted her dad to make sure he gave Josie and Landon a ride home. Thankfully she had a spare key for the car. She found it in the parking lot and made sure Hope sat in the back to keep an eye on Renzo. Sebastian unfortunately had no choice but to sit beside her.

She pulled out of the parking lot and headed towards the school. Sebastian fiddled with the buttons on the radio the whole way there.

“Would you literally stop pushing my buttons?” Lizzie said, annoyed.

“Modern technology is so fascinating. I have never seen anything quite like it.”

“It is most intriguing,” said Renzo, leaning over the seat to peer at the console. “Those buttons control the instruments in your vessel?”

“Oh, my God. It’s like having two Sebastians. Just be quiet, both of you.” She glanced over to see Hope suppressing a giggle.  “It’s not funny, Hope.”

“It’s a little funny,” she said, poking Lizzie’s cheek.

Lizzie lowered her chin to try to hide her blush.

Renzo sat forward in his seat. “You two make a lovely couple, by the way. I am pleased to see society finally accepts people like us out in the open.”

“We’re not—” Lizzie clamped her mouth shut, not really sure what to say. She was glad about it too, but the realization that she couldn’t keep hiding her feelings for Hope was crashing down on her. Even if her friends hadn’t seen her at the celebration, word would spread that Lizzie Saltzman had made out with a girl under a tree and taken another man with her to have a threesome. The world was cruel sometimes.

She sighed. At least she knew she had a chance with Hope now. And like Renzo said, society was a lot more accepting than it used to be. No one would judge her for being with a girl. That wasn’t ever something she was afraid of.

The reason she’d wanted to keep it a secret was selfish. She’d wanted to keep Hope all to herself. It felt good to be the only person who remembered her. The secret bound them together, and it allowed her to get to know Hope in a way no one else did. But now everyone would know Hope was special to her, and they would want to get to know her too.

Lizzie decided it wasn’t worth dwelling on the negatives. She had to think positive and soon she would get to have a nice long talk with Hope about their feelings. Lizzie was ready for it, and as much as she was dreading disappointment, she allowed herself to feel hope for their future together.

—

The werewolf transition space was oddly quiet. Lizzie had expected to find the zombie making a racket, but it was just sitting in the corner of the cell, staring at the floor with its one eye. She pushed Renzo into the cell and locked the door.

“My bathtub?” Renzo asked.

“I’ll go get it. Hope, keep an eye on him. Sebastian, you’re coming with me.” As much as Lizzie hated to bring Sebastian along, she didn’t trust him enough to leave him alone with dolphin boy.

They went upstairs to the storage closet, and Lizzie started rummaging through for one of the kiddie pools. “If you try anything, I will use magic against you.”

“Don’t you need to siphon it from a supernatural creature or object?”

Lizzie glared at him. He paid too much attention to her. “This whole school has magic in its walls, even its floors. I can easily siphon magic from it to hurt you. Don’t test me.”

Sebastian laughed, leaning against the door frame. “Your tactics with Hope were quite amusing, I’ll be honest. It’s much different from how I would have courted someone in my day.”

“How much did you see?”

“Oh, I saw everything. You were avoiding the injured boy, yes?”

“Ethan. Yeah, he has been flirting with Hope for weeks. She has been trying to avoid him, but he’s persistent. She asked me to kiss her a few days ago to get him to back off, but it didn’t work.”

“Ah, and you thought maybe you weren’t convincing enough then.”

Lizzie glared at him. “Can you not make fun of me? And you’re not really one to talk. You used to date a fish.”

“A dolphin. They are mammals, just like humans.”

“Your boyfriend still has fins and a tail during the day.”

“You act like I should remember what it was like to be with him. But I am telling you, I don’t remember anything. He could be lying for all I know, or he could have mistaken me for someone else. Though I doubt that. He knows my name and my scent. But still, he could be my enemy. There’s no way for us to know whether I dated a dolphin or not.”

Lizzie swallowed. There was a way. After all, she’d gotten back her memories of Hope, but she wasn’t sure how that even happened. Was it the demon in her head or Josie’s spell? And if it was Josie’s spell, that came from magic she siphoned from a sword. She’d have to reverse engineer the spell, and that was something far above Josie’s skill level.

She focused on digging through the board games, skateboards, and boxes in the storage room. For a magical school, most of the objects in here were surprisingly mundane.

“For the record, your courting tactics while wildly strange do seem to be working.”

Lizzie blushed as she remembered the kiss, how Hope seemed to want her just as much as she did. “Well, what about you? You know Renzo might be lying to you, but you’re still willing to put up with him.”

Sebastian shrugged. “Maybe I’m curious about my past. That’s a whole relationship I don’t even remember. I could have been in love with him for all I know. Or maybe I’m just lonely. I did spend nearly five hundred years alone in a box. He is a remarkable creature, and I wish to learn more about him. Besides, I’m confident I can defend myself if he turns violent.”

Lizzie raised an eyebrow. “That’s not how it seemed earlier.”

He put a hand to his stomach. “Renzo caught me off guard. I did not realize he was the monster until it was too late.”

“So you just walked off to flirt with a handsome stranger?”

“Can you blame me? Milton was quite busy flirting with his lady friend. Kymberly, I believe.”

Kymberly? Oh, that must be Kym, Kaleb’s sister. Lizzie had wondered who the girl he was flirting with was. Well, good for him.

“I saw someone who caught my eye, and I walked over to say hello. Well, maybe a little more than hello. Once we got to a private corner, he said he was so happy he found me again. I had no idea who he was, and I guess he thought I was pretending to forget him. He got angry, and well, he stabbed me.” Sebastian gestured at his stomach. The wound had already healed over, but his fancy shirt was ripped and stained with blood.

“We should really get you some new clothes. You’ve been wearing those far too long.” Lizzie coughed as she caught a whiff of them. She dug through the boxes again, remembering one she’d seen with T-shirts in it. She pulled out a “Salvatore Wickery Team” shirt and tossed it to Sebastian.

He peeled off his shirt right there in the doorway. Lizzie forced herself to look away and focus on looking for the pool again.

“No crime in watching, is there?” Sebastian said.

Lizzie glanced back at him and saw he was smirking. He still held the grey T-shirt in his hands. His muscles were toned, every inch of him perfection. It was no wonder he was popular back in his day. She glared at him. “Just put on the stupid shirt.”

“While it is crystal clear that you fancy Hope, you still have feelings for me too. It’s written all over your face, Elizabeth. I will put on the shirt once you admit it.”

Ugh, Lizzie had had enough of this guy. “I may be sexually attracted to you, but I have no romantic feelings for you. After what you did to me, I could never feel anything even remotely close to love for you.”

Sebastian nodded. “Very well. Thank you for being so frank with me. I appreciate the honesty, and I shall gracefully back off.” He slipped the shirt over his head. It was weird to see him in a T-shirt, something so modern. It still showed off his muscled arms, but she had enough sense to tear her eyes away from him.

Lizzie finally spotted the corner of the kiddie pool box. She plucked it out from the shelf it was hiding on. “Here, we go. Let’s get back to your boyfriend.”

—

Renzo laughed when he saw the kiddie pool. “That is not nearly big enough to hold me. I am two and a half meters long in my natural form.”

“That’s over eight feet,” Hope supplied.

Lizzie looked at the kiddie pool. It was barely six feet wide and not very deep. “Well, we need to do something. Any ideas?”

“We could use magic. Draw water from the lake to fill this room. Or maybe use a containment spell so it only fills the cell.”

“The zombie will drown.”

“Oh, I already took care of him,” Renzo said, gesturing to the zombie in the corner. “I mean, technically he was already dead, so it’s not murder.”

Lizzie rolled her eyes. “Okay, fine. We’ll do the spell, but you’d better be grateful.”

They filled the cell with about five feet of water. Renzo floated on top of the water with ease. He gave them a cheeky smile. “My favorite prison so far. This will be absolutely delightful come morning. Will you be bringing me a meal too?”

“We already gave you a meal.” Lizzie nodded at the zombie.

“Oh, no, not a monster meal. I need to eat normal things while I am in my dolphin form. I’m quite fond of fish, turtles, and crabs. I found some lovely catfish in your lake last night. Some more of those would be a real treat.”

“Prisoners don’t get to be picky. You’ll take what we give you.”

The door opened behind them, and Lizzie was relieved to see her father and Dorian. Dorian walked over to peer at the dolphin boy.

“Fascinating. A real encantado. I thought these were only myths.” He had a pile of books under his arm.

“Can we trade off?” Lizzie asked her dad. “Babysitting this fish has been exhausting.”

“Dolphin,” Renzo corrected.  “I breathe air, darling.”

“Whatever.” She caught her dad laughing and glared at him.

He put a hand on her shoulder. “Okay, you can go. MG is just outside the door. He’ll take Sebastian up to his room. He’ll stay with him until we can get Sebastian properly enrolled. Dorian will be having a talk with Headmaster Vardemus tomorrow morning.”

Lizzie nodded. “Thanks. Where’s Josie?”

“She wanted to stay at the celebration longer. She’ll walk home with Landon and Rafael, don’t worry.”

Lizzie was relieved. She wasn’t ready to see her sister just yet. In the hallway, she said hi to MG and then headed for her room.

Hope came running up behind her. “Where are you headed?”

Lizzie shrugged. “To my room, I guess.”

“I’ll come with you. You look worn out.”

She nodded. That was true. Right now she just wanted to go to sleep, and she really missed her own bed.

They reached her room. Lizzie changed into more comfortable clothes and climbed into bed.

“Do you mind if I stay ?” Hope asked.

Lizzie smiled and pulled down the sheets, gesturing to the spot beside her. Hope climbed into the bed and leaned her head against Lizzie’s shoulder.

“Hope, I—”

“It’s okay, Lizzie. We don’t have to talk about anything yet. Let’s focus on getting you to feel better.” She reached for Lizzie’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. Lizzie felt comforted by Hope’s warmth and wrapped her arm around her.

She still couldn’t believe that she in bed cuddling with home. It felt like a dream, but she knew it was real. Hope was real. She was so happy she’d remembered her. Now that she had Hope in her arms, she couldn’t imagine a world without her.

They sat there like that without talking, just feeling comfortable with each other, until Lizzie drifted to sleep. Tomorrow they could have the big talk and figure out if this could be a real relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This ended up being quite a fun chapter. I thought it was time for a monster that was a bit silly and flirtatious. The mythology comes from the Amazon river dolphin, aka the encantado.
> 
> I hope everyone enjoyed the Hizzie cuddles! An important conversation between them will happen soon.


	9. I Owe You An Explanation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lizzie attends a meeting with Headmaster Vardemus and Dorian. Lizzie and Hope have an important talk about their feelings. Not everyone is happy they kissed at the festival.

When Lizzie’s alarm went off in the morning, she found that Hope was still curled up in bed with her. She turned off the alarm on her phone and scrolled to her texts. Josie had sent a message that she was staying with Landon tonight.

Lizzie sighed in relief. At least she still had a little time to figure out what to tell Josie. She got up to start getting ready.

“Where are you going?” Hope asked from the bed.

Lizzie smiled fondly. Hope looked so cute when she was sleepy. “Dorian asked me to come to the meeting with Vardemus. We’ve got to talk about what to do with Sebastian and his dolphin boyfriend.” She couldn’t help but snort.

“When will you be back?”

“An hour, maybe. You can go back to sleep. Josie’s staying with Landon, and she has classes all day.”

Hope rolled over onto her back. “Forgot it was Monday. Guess I’m skipping school.” She gave Lizzie an amused smile. “You’re such a bad influence on me.”

Lizzie laughed and shoved her arm. “You don’t want to be at that lame human school anyways.”

“You’re right. I don’t. But we’ll talk about that later.” Hope pulled the covers over herself. “You get to your meeting, and I’ll be here when you get back.”

“Oh, so I’m skipping school too?”

Hope grinned. “You know you want to.”

Lizzie rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t hide her grin. She was absolutely right. Skipping school to spend time with Hope sounded like the best idea in the world.

—

Headmaster Vardemus drummed his fingers against the desk. His expression barely changed as Dorian and Lizzie explained the whole situation with Sebastian and Renzo.

“So, let me see if I have this correct, Miss Saltzman, your father already gave this vampire a trial, wherein he decided Sebastian would attend this school.”

Lizzie nodded. “We would have gone to you, but—”

Vardemus held up his hand. “No need to explain. It is only natural you would trust your father the most during these dangerous times.”

“So you’ll kick Sebastian out?” Lizzie asked, unable to hide the hope in her voice. That would make her life so much easier.

“No,” Vardemus said. “We cannot very well have this vampire running loose in the world. He wants to stay here for some reason, so I suggest we let him. We will keep a close eye on him to see if he is up to anything nefarious.”

“Are you sure about that?” Dorian asked. “Someone might get hurt.”

“Oh, I highly doubt that. Sebastian can stay, provided he follows our rules. Miss Saltzman, I will ask that you make a daylight ring for Sebastian. It would not do to have him bursting into flames on us. He will not be restricted to school grounds, as your father wished, but we will put an active tracking spell on him so we can find him if he wanders off.”

“What rules will you have him follow?” Dorian asked.

Vardemus grinned. “Only one. No feeding on anyone on campus.”

“Don’t you mean no feeding on anyone anywhere?” Dorian said.

Vardemus folded his hands together. “To deny a vampire such as him of his basic instincts would be inhumane. Expecting a vampire to go from a diet of human blood to a diet of rabbit blood is preposterous. It would only drive him to attacking the other students out of desperation. Now I believe that if we allow him to feed outside of school, he will be able to control himself here.”

“You’re just going to let the bodies pile up?” Lizzie asked, horrified.

“That is not what I said. Sebastian fed on Wade, did he not? And you. Both times he managed to stop himself from killing. I believe he has enough control to feed on humans without killing them. We will make sure he compels them to forget and is discreet about where he feeds.”

This was not what Lizzie had in mind when her dad said Sebastian should be allowed to stay at the school. She thought for sure Vardemus would just kick him out or desiccate him again. Maybe her dad was counting on that too.

“What about the Encantado?” Dorian asked. “It is a fascinating creature, and since it comes from Malivore, it would be better to keep it alive. It’ll stop more monsters from coming through, we hope. But the Encantado is dangerous. It wants to be free to roam the school at night in its human form, but that would be a terrible idea. The way these creatures kill…” Dorian shuddered. “Well, you don’t want to know.”

“Ah, yes, the boto.” Vardemus adjusted his bowtie. “I will need a little more time to decide what to do with him. For now, I think we just need to keep him fed. There is a supply of fresh fish in the refrigerator of the school cafeteria. Miss Saltzman, if you would be so kind as to bring all of it to our mythical friend. From your research, Dorian, it is clear this creature will need to consume a lot in his dolphin form. I will need you to order enough fish to get him through the week. I will have my decision one week from today. You are both dismissed.”

Lizzie shot Dorian a desperate look, but he shook his head. Lizzie crossed her arms and stormed out of the office. She hated that she’d been put on feeding duty. The last thing she wanted was to babysit some fish. She just wanted to go back to her room and the lovely creature in her bed.

—

The bucket of fish was almost too heavy for Lizzie to carry. She lugged it down the stairs, one step at a time. By the time she reached the cell, she was out of breath.

“Is that for Renzo?” Lizzie jumped, dropping the bucket.

Sebastian caught the handle effortlessly before the bucket hit the ground. He held it up like it weighed nothing. “Is this going to be enough?”

“I don’t know. It’s all that I could carry.”

“So I take it the meeting went well?”

Lizzie rolled her eyes. “That depends on your definition of ‘well.’ You will be attending the school, congrats, but the headmaster hasn’t decided about your boyfriend yet.”

“But he’s allowing you to feed him. That is a good sign, isn’t it?”

Lizzie shrugged. “Let’s just get this over with.” She pushed open the door and walked into the chamber. Her breath caught in her throat at what she saw.

A pink dolphin with a long snout and sharp teeth was swimming around the cell.

“What the actual f—”

Sebastian whistled, and Lizzie covered her ears, glaring at the vampire.

The dolphin swam to the surface of the water. It made happy squealing sounds that just made Lizzie feel sick to her stomach. She was already ready for Vardemus to get rid of the damn thing.

Sebastian flung the fish through the bars of the cell. Since it seemed like he had things under control, she used the opportunity to escape.

—

Back in Lizzie’s room, she found Hope propped up against the pillows reading a book. Lizzie came over and sat down on the edge of the bed.

“How did it go?” Hope asked, sliding a bookmark into the pages and setting the book aside. Lizzie noticed it was her special edition copy of  _ The Hobbit.  _ Interesting choice.

“It was so lame. Vardemus is letting Sebastian stay at the school, and he’s allowed to feed on humans. Can you believe it?”

Hope raised an eyebrow. “Actually, yes. Sebastian’s an old world vampire. You can’t expect him to just change like flipping a light switch. What about Renzo?”

Lizzie shrugged. “Vardemus doesn’t know what to do with him yet. I think he wants to study him for a bit and see if he’s dangerous, which he clearly is. You heard him bragging about how many people he’s killed. And get this, he not only turns into a huge eight foot long dolphin, but he’s a pink dolphin, like the color of a naked mole rat or something.”

Hope stifled a laugh. “I’ll have to go see him later.”

“Oh, yeah, and I have to make a daylight ring for Sebastian.”

“Well, at least you’ll have the power to remove the spell if he gets dangerous. I’m glad Vardemus wants you to be the one to do the spell.” She smiled.

Lizzie’s breath hitched. There was still so much they needed to talk about. She cleared her throat. “So, uh,  about last night …”

Hope grabbed her hands, her eyes beautiful and mesmerizing. “Oh, yes, I feel like we really need to talk about what’s going on between us.”

Lizzie shivered at the word  _ us.  _ She liked how it sounded on Hope’s tongue. “Agreed, so, yeah, let’s talk.” Her heart was pounding in her chest. Her phone dinged, and she pulled away from Hope’s hands to check the message. It was just Dorian reminding her to make the daylight ring for Sebastian. She clicked her phone onto silent and put it face down. “Sorry about that. It’s nothing.”

Hope was winding her hair around her fingers, looking nervous.  “I owe you an explanation.”

“No, I’m the one who should explain.”

Hope shook her head. “Let me go first, Lizzie. Please.”

“Of course.” Lizzie wondered what had Hope so worried. She thought she’d made it very obvious last night that she liked her.

“That day when you came to my school, things didn’t go as planned. I was lonely and desperate to get over Landon, so I invited Ethan to meet me in the janitor’s closet.”

Lizzie’s face fell. “What? You were planning to make out with that creep?”

Hope shrugged, looking embarrassed. “He seemed like a nice guy. But then you showed up and wanted to talk. I only picked the closet because it was a good place to have a private conversation. I wasn’t planning to kiss you.”

“Sorry, I’m lost here. Why did you ask for a favor if you weren’t planning to kiss me?” Lizzie’s heart was racing and her breathing was unsteady. Had she been wrong about Hope all this time? Maybe the kiss didn’t mean anything, and Lizzie had gotten all worked up over nothing.

“You said you remembered me and that you were lonely and I realized I wanted to kiss you a lot more than I wanted to kiss Ethan. So I asked for a favor and just went for it.”

Lizzie gaped, trying to comprehend Hope’s words. Getting Ethan to go away had been spur of the moment. No wonder he was so persistent with Hope. She’d led him on.

“You look mad,” Hope said.  “I’m not explaining this well.”

Lizzie crossed her arms. “Why did you want to kiss me?”

“Isn’t it obvious? Because I like you, Lizzie. I’ve liked you ever since the Miss Mystic Falls pageant.”

That was not what Lizzie had been expecting to hear. “But that was back in April. That was like five months ago.”

“Yeah.” Hope bit her lip, twisting her fingers together in her lap.

“How come you never said anything?”

“I was dating Landon. And it was like a week after I learned he was a phoenix. I didn’t really have time to explore my feelings for you.”

Okay, Lizzie needed a moment to process this. Hope liked her this whole time. Months before Lizzie even started liking her. The smile spread across her lips, and she could see the worry leave Hope’s eyes.

“I like you too, Hope. I think I’ve liked you for a long time, but I didn’t realize it until we kissed. God, these past few days I’ve been agonizing over whether you were flirting with me or not.  Now I feel like an idiot.”

Hope laughed. “You’re an adorable idiot. And I’m one too. I was literally doing the exact same thing. After school the day we kissed, you should have seen me asking Maya for advice.”

“What the hell? I told Maya I liked you, and she never said anything.”

“She was keeping my secret.” Hope chuckled. “I guess that’s why she was so certain I was worrying for nothing.”

“I had this whole binder with an elaborate plan on how to ask you out. There was a chart predicting it would take me at least two weeks. And here it only took like three days.”

Hope laughed. “Well, a lot has happened in these three days. I mean there was the kelpie, the cave, and the incubus.”

“Yeah, we have gotten to spend a lot of time together lately. It’s been nice. But don’t tell anyone I said that.”

Hope raised a questioning eyebrow.

“Sorry, bad habit. I’m not used to being, well, honest with my feelings. And you’re the first girl I’ve ever liked, so it’s just all new to me. I’m not sure how I’m going to tell everyone.”

“I think everyone already thinks we’re dating,” Hope said with a laugh. “You did kiss me in the middle of Commonwealth Day.”

“Yeah, I know. I am so sorry about that. I just saw Ethan coming over with the flowers again, and I panicked.”

“It’s okay,” Hope said, smiling. “It made me really happy. I’m open about being bisexual, so you didn’t out me or anything. I was just so relieved that you wanted to kiss me.”

“So, does this mean we’re girlfriends now?”

“I hope so. That’s what I want. If you’re ready for it.”

“Yes,” Lizzie said right away, then winced at how eager she sounded. “I’m sorry. I don’t really know how to do this.”

Hope smiled, leaning over the bed. “Don’t worry about it so much.” She ran a hand along the base of Lizzie’s neck and pulled her into a kiss.

Lizzie’s thoughts stopped whirring around, and the world went blissfully quiet. She just focused on the feel of Hope in her arms. She ran a hand through her hair, down her back, ghosting across her skin, still finding it hard to believe she had permission to explore. Hope Mikaelson was her girlfriend now. This wasn’t a dream.

“Now you should really get to class.” Hope booped her nose playfully.

Lizzie’s heart about melted. “Walk me there?”

“Sure thing.”

Lizzie changed into her school uniform and slung her purse over her shoulder. She reached over to hold Hope’s hand. “Ready for this?”

Hope smiled, looking absolutely dazzling. “Let’s do this.”

They walked into the hallway. People were rushing this way and that, so they had to let go of each other to make their way through the crowd. The hallways widened once they got out of the dorms and into the main halls, so they were able to walk side by side again.

Landon appeared in front of them, grinning from ear to ear. “Lizzie, Hope, just the girls I wanted to see. What you did last night was so smart. Drawing out the monster like that and leading him away from the crowd. You guys were so good at fake dating. It’s no wonder the monster fell for it.” He held up his hand like he was expecting a high five.

“Actually, um.” Lizzie reached for Hope’s hand, and Hope took it, smiling.

“We are dating,” Hope said.

Landon looked like a bus had hit him. “Oh.” His hand fell limply at his side, and he staggered back a step. “No, that’s cool. That’s, I was trying to set you up with Raf, but no, this is fine. Sorry, I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

Lizzie did. She could see that he was still in love with Hope. Even without knowing who she was, he was still instinctively drawn to her. The same thing would have happened if he’d gotten Hope to go out with Rafael. Lizzie was so scared Hope could see it too, that she would realize Landon still loved her and leave Lizzie in a heartbeat.

But Hope just smiled. “Why are you being so awkward? Isn’t your girlfriend pansexual?”

“Yeah, she is. Oh, crap. No, I’m not being weird because you’re both girls, I swear. I just didn’t see this coming. Anyways, I’ve got to get to class.” He rushed off before they could say anything else.

“That was weird,” Hope said.

Lizzie snorted. “No weirder than his usual.”

“He’s probably just worried about Raf being lonely. I shouldn’t have flirted with Raf.” Hope ran a hand through her hair.  “Gosh, I’m such a mess.”

“You are far from a mess, Hope Mikaelson. Now, come on. My girlfriend promised me she’d walk me to class.” Lizzie smiled, holding out her hand again for Hope to take.

They got some stares as they walked down the hall. Alyssa Chang sneered at them in distaste, looking Hope up and down like she didn’t approve of her.

Kaleb grinned at them and gave Lizzie a thumbs up.

Lizzie felt someone tugging on her skirt. She turned, annoyed, and found little Pedro standing there beaming at her. Immediately she softened. “What’s up, Pedro?”

“I want to meet the girl you’re dating,” he said, puffing out his chest.

Lizzie laughed. “Of course, I have to introduce her to my very best friend. Hope, this is Pedro, and Pedro, this is Hope, my girlfriend.” She could feel the blushing spreading across her face.

Pedro shook Hope’s hand. “Treat her right or I’ll fight you,” he said, grinning.

“Okay, thanks, Pedro,” Hope said, unable to suppress a smile. She looked up at Lizzie. “You have some good friends, huh?”

“Only the best,” Lizzie said, throwing her hair over her shoulder.

Pedro beamed proudly and then rushed off, yelling about needing to get to class.

“He is so cute,” Hope said.

“You’re so cute,” Lizzie said, giving Hope a quick kiss.

“So it’s true?”

Lizzie whirled around to see Josie standing there. “I told you I liked her. You can’t be surprised that I asked her out.”

“I’m not. I’m just surprised she said yes.”

Lizzie scoffed, offended. “Okay, that was uncalled for, Josie. Why does this even bother you? You can have Landon all to yourself now.”

Josie opened her mouth and closed it, looking like a fish. “She doesn’t really like you. She’s obviously pretending so she can infiltrate the Salvatore school. We’re on to your little game.” She shot Hope a fierce glare.

Hope raised her eyebrows, looking completely caught off guard. “Are you really jealous that your sister has a girlfriend?”

“No, that’s fine. I don’t care about that. I just don’t like that it’s you. Literally anyone else would have been better. Even Alyssa Chang.”

Lizzie couldn’t stop the tears forming in her eyes. She bolted, unable to stay in those halls a moment longer. She ran outside to the pier and crouched down on the end, staring into the water.

“Are you okay?” Hope sat down next to her. “I can leave if you want to be alone, or we could talk about what’s going on.”

“I just don’t get why Josie is being like this. She’s my sister. I know we have our fights, but she’s supposed to be supportive in the end.”

“She just wants to protect you. I’m a supernatural creature who lied to insert myself into the group here. I can see why she wouldn’t trust me.”

Lizzie sighed, leaning into Hope’s shoulder. Hope wrapped her arms around her and rubbed her shoulder. Her touch was so soothing. It made it feel like all her worries were so far away.

“Maybe it’s time for me to tell her who I am,” Hope said softly. “My main reason for not telling anyone was because I didn’t want to ruin Landon and Josie’s happiness. But now I’m with you so I won’t be trying to win Landon back. What do you think?”

Lizzie wanted to argue, but she knew it would be selfish to ask Hope to keep the secret. It was nice that they had been able to share this together. Lizzie had gotten closer to Hope after getting her memories back. They were together and happy. It should be fine for Hope to tell everyone right now, right?

But there was still a part of Lizzie that didn’t want to share her. She didn’t want Josie to remember that she’d had a crush on Hope when she was twelve. She didn’t want Landon to remember he was in love with Hope. Even without remembering who she was, he was hurt that Hope was with someone. Their relationship was still so new, so fragile, and Lizzie worried that like all her previous relationships this wouldn’t last.

“If you think that’s what you want to do,” Lizzie said at last. It wasn’t much of an answer, but she wouldn’t interfere with Hope’s decision. She should decide who she tells and when.

“I wish I could just give them their memories back. If we could learn more about that spell Josie used, we might be able to find a way. But she isn’t going to tell me anything about the spell while she hates me.”

“What if you show her some of your memories with magic? She could see that you’re telling the truth about who you are.”

Hope bit her lip. “Maybe. She wouldn’t be able to know how she felt about situations, but I could at least prove that we were friends, that we’ve fought monsters together and protected one another. That’s got to be worth something.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Lizzie said.

She wasn’t thrilled about the idea of Josie glimpsing Hope’s memories, but she really wanted her sister back. This fighting had gone on too long. She wanted Josie to be happy for her, to trust Hope, to help with the spell to get everyone’s memories back. Well, maybe not everyone, but at least the people they trusted. And most of all Lizzie wanted her girlfriend to be happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So happy to establish Hope and Lizzie as the new power couple in Mystic Falls! Some sibling drama this chapter, and there's definitely something fishy going on with Vardemus.
> 
> Do you think Hope should tell Josie who she is?


	10. Let's Do That Damn Spell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lizzie tries to find out secrets about Sebastian from Renzo. When she seeks comfort from Hope, they're interrupted by a problem that requires a little magic.

Lizzie stormed into the room where they were keeping Renzo. She figured if Sebastian was going to remain so secretive about his life, she’d find another way to get the answers she needed.

Lizzie had reluctantly made a daylight ring for Sebastian, but she still felt like it was a bad idea. She wanted proof that he wasn’t a good person, an excuse to get him thrown out of the school. And even if she couldn’t manage that, at least she could prepare for whatever he was planning.

Moonlight didn’t touch this corner of the school, but she found that Renzo had transformed back into a human. He was floating on top of the water in the cell, fingers laced behind his head. Lizzie siphoned magic from the floor and muttered a spell to create a dry space near the bars.

The water pushed back a few feet, and Renzo tumbled to the ground.

Lizzie smirked as she came up to his cell. “Had a nice day?” she asked.

He looked her up and down cautiously. “Are you here to kill me?”

Lizzie rolled her eyes, huffing. “Unfortunately, Headmaster Vardemus has the final decision on what we do with you. But I might be able to persuade him to let you live if you give me some information.”

Renzo stared at her, his dark eyes seeming to see right into her soul. It was unnerving. Also, he was still wearing that damned hat and old-fashioned outfit. She was grateful he transformed with clothes, unlike werewolves, but she wondered if he physically couldn’t change outfits. That would get pretty annoying.

“You are not telling the truth, Miss Elizabeth.”

She scrunched her face, trying to think of what to say, but she was just so annoyed with him. “Okay, fine. I don’t have any intention of asking Vardemus to let you stay. You’re dangerous, just like Sebastian. But I want to know how dangerous he is.”

“You forget that I did not know him when he was a vampire. I wouldn’t have known him at his most dangerous.”

“Bullshit. You know something. I can tell.”

Renzo sighed, leaning his head against the bars. “You will not believe me even if I tell you. In your head, you have already painted him a villain. What good will my spilling his secrets do?”

“Well, if you don’t tell me anything, I’ll find a way to get him kicked out of here, and then you’ll never see him again.”

“He’ll come find me,” Renzo said with an idiotic certainty.

“I could desiccate him, you know. With just a touch. I’m a siphoner. It would be easy to lock him up in a coffin and hide him somewhere you would never find him.”

Renzo sighed. “You must understand, Miss Elizabeth, that I love him in much the same way you love Miss Hope. By telling you about his past, I would be betraying his trust. But…” He bit his lip and knelt down on the floor. “But I’ll do it if it has any chance of saving his life.”

“Good.” Lizzie sat down on the other side of the bars, eager to hear whatever lie he was going to tell to convince her to keep Sebastian there. She had borrowed a lie detecting crystal from Vardemus, so all she had to do to ferret out the truth was get him to talk. It would turn blue for the truth and red for lies.

She had spelled it invisible so only she could see it.

“What’s your name?”

“Lorenzo, but I prefer to go by Renzo.” The crystal glowed blue.

“Where are you from?”

“Brazil.” Still blue. “I’m sorry, but is this some kind of test?”

“Hush. I’m in charge here. I just want to know some basic things about you first. Do you remember Malivore eating you?”

“No, but if it happened while I was a dolphin, I wouldn’t remember it. My dolphin memories are separate.”

“So when you’re a dolphin, you can’t remember anything from being human-ish.”

Renzo nodded. “Precisely, but it’s more like the memories are stored in a different drawer. Once I’m in this form again, I remember all the things I’ve encountered in this form.”

“Did Sebastian know you changed into a dolphin during the day?”

“No.”

The crystal glowed red. Sebastian had known then, but why would Renzo lie about that? Lizzie decided not to let it bother her too much. She had more pressing questions. “How did you meet Sebastian?”

“At a social gathering. We were both interested in the same woman. Well, I say ‘interested,’ but I just wanted to kill her. After I had my fun of course. But then through our competition, I noticed that Sebastian was a lot more fun.”

“Did you still kill the girl?”

“Yes, I thought that much was obvious.”

“Why?”

Renzo shrugged. “It was my natural instinct. Ever since I was created, I felt the instinct to seduce and feed.”

“Like a vampire.”

“A little bit, but I don’t drink blood. I feed off sexual energy, quite like how you feed off magic, Miss Elizabeth.”

“We are  _ not  _ the same,” Lizzie said, glaring. “I’ve never killed anyone by siphoning magic.”

Renzo’s mouth slid into a dangerous smile. “Haven’t you?”

“Well, there was one time I had to siphon my bio mom, but some monster reanimated her corpse. That was completely different. And I only killed Landon because he was possessed by a demon. He’s a phoenix though, so he got better.”

“Landon Kirby?”

“Yes. Did Malivore tell you about him?”

Renzo paused.  “I know things,” he said elusively.

“What the hell does that mean?”

“Maybe I will help you once you earn my trust.” Renzo gave her a taunting smile.

If Lizzie hadn’t been using the truth crystal, she would have been convinced that Renzo was lying to get her to let him stay. But she knew for a fact that he really did know something about Landon thanks to that glowing blue light.

“Let’s get to what you promised me. What do you know about Sebastian’s past?”

Renzo’s smile turned dangerous. “I won’t be telling you anything about that, deary. Why don’t you ask him yourself?”

Lizzie whirled around to see Sebastian had entered the room. Damn it. Renzo had just been stalling her, and she’d been so distracted by the Landon thing she hadn’t even noticed Sebastian walk in. She scrambled to her feet and backed up against the wall. He had a dangerous look in his eyes. She put her hand to the wall in case she needed to siphon magic.

“Oh, would you relax?” Sebastian said. “I’m only here to check on Renzo. And I am not angry with you for asking questions about me. It is only natural you should be curious.”

“I’m dating Hope,” Lizzie said.

Sebastian smiled. “So I heard. Congratulations.”

“Are you sure you aren’t planning to hurt any of us?” Lizzie asked, glancing at the truth crystal still on the floor.

“I have no intention to harm you or your friends.” The crystal glowed blue.

“Why do you even want to stay here? You’re a four hundred year old vampire. Don’t you want to explore the world? Kill to your heart’s content?”

“Elizabeth, in my entire life there have only been a handful of people I enjoyed killing.”

“Oh, yeah? And who were they?”

Sebastian tilted his head, studying her curiously. “The crew of the merchant ship my parents sold me to when I was eight years old.”

Lizzie couldn’t breathe. The crystal was still glowing blue. He was telling the truth. She couldn’t deal with this right now. She would not let herself feel sympathy for this monster. A quick spell and the crystal was in her hand, and then she stormed out the door. It wasn’t until she was out in the hallway leaning against the stone wall that she realized she was crying.

…

After washing her face in the bathroom to remove evidence of her tears, Lizzie headed back to her room. Hope was still sitting on Lizzie’s bed reading  _ The Hobbit _ . The moment she saw her Hope ran straight over to Lizzie.

“How did it go? Did you find out anything?”

Lizzie nodded, still stunned. She needed to work through this in her head before she explained it all to Hope. “I’ve got to write this down first. Just give me a few minutes.”

Hope nodded, understanding. She walked over to sit by the window and started reading  _ The Hobbit  _ again.

Lizzie took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart. She picked up her diary and opened it to the page bookmarked by her pen. In as much detail as she could manage, she wrote about the encounter with Renzo and Sebastian. The plan had been Hope’s idea, but Lizzie had insisted she wanted to be the one to interrogate him. She had to go alone to avoid suspicion. It wasn’t like he could do much harm from behind bars anyways.

What she had learned wasn’t what she was expecting. The basics were easy enough to work through. Renzo was from Brazil. Likely he was born as a dolphin and then was changed by some dark witch so he would turn into a monster every night. A curse of some sort maybe. His dolphin and monster memories were separate.

He’d lied about Sebastian not knowing he was a dolphin before, though Lizzie wasn’t sure why he felt the need to lie about that. He siphoned sexual energy from people to kill them. It didn’t seem like he had any reason for killing, aside from his prime directive and maybe he needed the energy to survive. Most importantly, though, Renzo knew something about Landon. They had to figure out what it was.

And then there was the whole thing with Sebastian. He didn’t want to harm them, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t. Lizzie wished she didn’t know what he had told her. It would be easier not to feel sympathy for him if she didn’t know his tragic past.

That damn crystal was never wrong though. Sebastian's parents had indeed sold him to a merchant ship when he was young. After he became a vampire, he slaughtered the whole crew and enjoyed it. She shouldn’t be feeling sorry for him, but she couldn’t help it. No one should have to be enslaved to merchants for nine years.

Lizzie set down her pen, frustrated. She wanted to get rid of Sebastian and Renzo, but they would have to keep them around a while longer. At least long enough to find out what Renzo knew about Landon…

“I’m ready,” Lizzie said.

Hope came over to the bed and Lizzie passed the journal to her.

“Just read that page. That’s everything I found out.” Lizzie tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

Hope’s eyes went wide as she read. “We need to get Renzo to tell us more.”

“He says he won’t tell us anything until we ‘earn this trust.’ Whatever that means.” Lizzie rolled her eyes.

“Then we need to start acting like we want him to stay.”

Lizzie groaned. “Fine. I’ll try to be nice to him.” She leaned back against the headboard.

Hope squeezed her hand. “Are you feeling okay?”

“I don’t know. I’m glad we got some answers, but there’s still so much we don’t know. It’s frustrating. And I’m also feeling guilty for skipping classes.”

“Hey, it’s okay. You were upset at what Josie said.”

“But we shouldn’t have skipped school today. If we keep doing this, Josie’s going to be right when she says you’re a bad influence on me.”

Hope moved closer to her on the bed and leaned her head on Lizzie’s shoulder. “But I don’t want to go home yet.”

Lizzie bit her lip. She really wanted Hope to stay the night again, but she knew Josie wouldn’t stay at Landon’s on a school night. “You really shouldn’t be here when Josie gets back.”

“Can’t we have a little fun first?” Hope asked with a playful smile.

Oh, hell. Lizzie couldn’t resist that look. She was about to kiss Hope when orchestral music sounded. Interrupted by a phone call. Again. Lizzie pulled out her phone and glared at the screen.

“Why the hell is Landon calling me?”

“Answer it,” Hope said immediately. She looked so worried, concerned that he was hurt.

Lizzie answered the phone and turned it on speaker so Hope could hear too. “What’s wrong, Landon?”

“Lizzie! Thank goodness you answered. Josie’s missing.”

“Missing. What do you mean missing?” The words didn’t make sense to Lizzie.

“She never showed up to classes today, and she hasn’t returned any of my texts. We were supposed to meet in the library an hour ago, but she didn’t come. I went looking for her, but I can’t find her. I don’t think she’s at the school.”

Lizzie glanced over to see Josie’s backpack was missing. She checked the drawers to see a lot of clothes and makeup had also disappeared. This wasn’t a kidnapping.  “What did you do, Landon? My sister wouldn’t run away unless you did something terrible.”

“Wait, she ran away? Are you sure?”

“Yeah, her backpack is gone and enough clothes for a few days. Whatever you did, you scared her off.”

“We have to find her,” Hope said.

“Wait, Hope, is that you?” Landon said. “Oh God, Lizzie, am I on speaker?”

“Try the bus stop,” Hope told him. “That’s where I would have gone.”

Lizzie gave her a look, reading between the lines. That must be where Hope went when she returned from Malivore and found Landon and Josie kissing. She’d told her the story earlier that day while they’d cuddled in Lizzie’s bed together.

“Can you guys do a locating spell?” Landon asked. “Please, we need to find her.”

“Of course. I’ll do whatever it takes to get my sister back.” Lizzie hung up the phone and held it to her chest.

“She’ll be okay,” Hope said, her voice soft and soothing, but nothing could soothe Lizzie right now.

“Come on,  let’s do that damn spell and find my sister.”

They set up a map of Virginia on the floor. Lizzie handed Hope a knife. Hope sliced into the skin of her palm and held her hand over to map. Blood splattered onto the map.

They waited until the blood ran across the map, heading southwest in a fast stream.

Hope sighed, rocking back on her knees. “We’re too late. She’s already on the move.” She pointed to a spot and traced it along the map.

Lizzie texted Landon to tell him to check the parking lot for their shared car. Landon confirmed that it wasn’t there. Dang it. There went their best mode of transportation, and it meant Josie would be getting wherever she was going a lot sooner than if she took the bus.

Lizzie’s phone chimed. She looked at the message. It was a text from Josie saying that there was a family emergency in Richmond, but not to worry. Lizzie laughed, sighing with relief. “She’s just going to see family in Richmond.”

Hope frowned. “Then why is she heading away from Richmond? And who goes to see family on a Monday?”

“She said it was a family emergency. Maybe she had to pick up something first.”

Hope gave her a look that said she was just lying to herself. “Let’s be realistic, Lizzie. Josie could be in danger.”

“You’re right. We need to chase after her,” Lizzie said.

“I need to stay in Mystic Falls and protect Landon.”

“Renzo is still here, and we haven’t seen any monsters since he arrived. I don’t think Malivore can send any more unless Renzo bites the dust. I’ll have Sebastian keep that beast fed so he doesn’t die on us. It should be fine, Hope.”

“But still, I’d never forgive myself if I left and something happened to him.”

Lizzie stretched her fingers, trying to calm her thoughts. It was a technique her therapist had taught her, but it didn’t seem to be working right now. She was on edge. Hope might be her girlfriend now, but it was obvious she still had feelings for Landon. Lizzie was torn between pretending to care and encouraging Hope to get over that little muppet.

“Okay,” Lizzie said at last. “We’ll take him with us.”

Hope gave her a look, clearly surprised. “You’d suffer with him in the car for hours?”

“I don’t care. Josie is more important. Besides, if by some chance another monster comes out of Malivore and follows us, that will keep the rest of our friends safe. It’s a win-win.”

Hope nodded. “Okay, let’s do this.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another cliffhanger and sorry for the long wait. The next chapter will be up within a week though! Hope everyone is still enjoying the story so far. <3
> 
> Any predictions for next chapter?


	11. How Could I Forget You?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lizzie goes on the most annoying road trip of her life with Hope and Landon as they chase after Josie.

Lizzie was annoyed to put it mildly. Not only had her nice evening with Hope been absolutely foiled by Hope’s ex-boyfriend, but she had to listen to said ex-boyfriend ramble on about Star Wars for hours while Hope drove.

“Did we really have to steal my dad’s car?” Lizzie asked. She’d insisted on the front passenger seat. No way was she sitting in the back alone, or worse with Landon.

“The bus would’ve been too slow, and we’re too young to rent a car. Besides, is it really stealing if you just walked into his house and picked up the keys?” Hope raised an eyebrow. She’d changed into more comfortable clothes, a lavender low cut shirt and some jeans, which she’d rolled up at the bottom.

It was hard not to get distracted by how beautiful Hope looked in Lizzie’s clothes. “What if my dad chases after us?”

“He won’t even notice until morning. We’ll be far away by then.”

Lizzie huffed, leaning back in her seat. She wasn’t even sure if Hope had her license, but Hope insisted on driving and Lizzie was too anxious to be behind a wheel. She hoped no cops would pull them over. They should’ve brought a vampire with them. Sebastian was busy babysitting Renzo, but maybe Kaleb or MG would have agreed to come. They could have compelled the cops to let them go.

Hope was going at least thirty miles over the speed limit, which made Lizzie nervous, but she didn’t want to say anything. What if Josie got hurt because they didn’t get to her fast enough?

And Landon would not shut up about Star Wars. It made it hard for Lizzie to think since she was putting so much effort into trying (and failing) to tune out his voice. She kept her eyes on the map, watching the moving red dot that marked Josie’s location.

Finally, they caught up to a spot on the map where Josie had stopped for a little while. The place turned out to be a poorly lit gas station. It was dark outside and a chill breeze rustled their coats as Lizzie and Hope walked to the shop attached to the gas station. They asked the store owner about Josie, showing him a picture. He said she just fueled up her car and left.

“But you saw her?” Lizzie asked.

The store owner nodded. “Yeah, she asked about a good route to New Orleans.”

Lizzie and Hope looked at each other. They didn’t know what that meant, but New Orleans was full of supernatural activity. Maybe she was going to meet someone there. But why?

They hurried back to the car to Landon, who was worrying his fingers through his curls. “Any luck?”

Lizzie rolled her eyes. “What do you think?”

“We’ll find her,” Hope said. “We know where she’s going now.”

“Where is she going?” Landon asked.

“New Orleans,” Lizzie said, her tone biting.

“That’s where I went last year. Someone gave me a bus ticket for New Orleans, but I can’t remember why I was going there. I think I was looking for something, and someone there was going to help me, but I can’t remember if I ever found what I was looking for.” He frowned, trying to work through it in his head.

Hope gave Lizzie a look, and it was clear that Hope had been the one to send him to New Orleans. Lizzie didn’t know why though. That wasn’t something Hope had told her about when she filled in her side of the story.

“Are you sure you went there? It’s probably just something that happened in one of your video games.” Lizzie rolled her eyes at him.

Landon frowned and sat back in the seat, crossing his arms and staring out the window. Silent for once. Score one for Lizzie.

Hope continued driving them down the highway, even faster than before. It was late at night, and the roads were eerily empty. Hope had plugged New Orleans into the GPS. It was about fourteen hours from Mystic Falls, but with Hope’s driving, they’d be there a bit sooner.

The silence lasted about ten minutes, and then Landon was at it again.

“Will you shut up?” Lizzie snapped at him. “For the last time, Hope and I don’t care about your nerdy interests. If you’re going to talk the whole way, at least make it about something we care about.”

“Okay, how about football?” Landon suggested. “Well, actually I don’t really know anything about football. I played quarterback that one time, but Josie used magic to make me semi-decent at it.”

Hope laughed. “Yeah, I could tell right away.”

Landon looked mildly offended. “How? You don’t even know me that well.”

Hope caught his eyes in the mirror. “I can tell just by looking at you.” There was a flirty glint to her eyes that made Lizzie uncomfortable.

“What about Lord of the Rings? You’ve at least seen the movies, right?” Lizzie asked him, desperate to change the subject.

The next several hours were spent with Landon detailing his opinions on the Lord of the Rings movies and books, including the historical context of Tolkien’s life. The history nerd in him was jumping out, and Lizzie was tempted to do a spell to remove his mouth. At least then she could get some peace and quiet.

They stopped at a gas station to refuel. “I’ll fill up the car,” Lizzie said, but really she just needed a break from Landon’s incessant talking. She walked over to the pump to select her fuel type. She leaned against the trunk and waited while the car filled up.

It was the middle of nowhere, a lone gas station surrounded by fields of crops. The sun was starting to rise, but the place still felt creepy.

Hope sidled up next to her. “You doing okay?”

Lizzie huffed in annoyance. “Not really. I swear, Landon is obsessed with the sound of his own voice.”

Hope chuckled. “Oh, come on. He’s not that bad. He’s just trying to help pass the time instead of hours of just silence.”

“I’d prefer silence.” Lizzie glanced over at the gas station store. “Hey, do you think they sell duct tape?”

“We don’t need duct tape. It’s going to look like we kidnapped him.”

Lizzie snorted. “We’ll see how you feel in another hour.”

Hope squeezed Lizzie’s hand. “Thank you for letting him come. I know it’s not easy for you, but it means a lot to me.”

Lizzie looked over at Hope, at those beautiful earnest eyes, and couldn’t help but smile. “Of course. I can put up with Landon for you.”

She was hesitant as she leaned down to kiss Hope, but Hope wrapped a hand around the back of her neck and pulled her in close. She opened her mouth into the kiss, and when she pulled away, Lizzie felt dizzy with pleasure.

The gas nozzle clicked, signaling the car was full. Lizzie gave her girlfriend a smile before she walked over to put her card in the machine.

Once they were done at the gas station, they were back on the road. Sadly Lizzie hadn’t been able to convince Hope to buy any duct tape.

An hour later she met Hope’s eyes in the mirror, and she could tell Hope was starting to get annoyed by Landon too. He was on some rant about the robots in the different Star Wars movies.

_ “Ad somnum,”  _ Hope said, and Landon collapsed on the back seat, breaking out into loud snoring.

“It’s an improvement,” Lizzie admitted, “but that boy really doesn’t know how to be quiet.”

“I think he’s just anxious because he’s worried about Josie. Talking helps distract him from his own worries.”

Lizzie nodded, biting her lip. She got that. She was really worried about Josie too, but at least they knew where she was going. They still didn’t know why she was going there, but New Orleans wasn’t a huge city. Hopefully they would find her before she got into any trouble.

—

“Lizzie, wake up.”

“What?” Lizzie jerked her head forward and opened her eyes. She was still in the car, and sunlight poured in from all directions. God, she just wanted to go back to sleep.

“We’re here,” Hope said. She pointed across the street to a bar called Rousseau’s.

Lizzie unbuckled her seat belt. “Come on, let’s go. What are you waiting for?”

Hope bit her lip. “I can’t go inside. I already peeked through the window and Josie is with Freya. If she sees me, she’ll freak out.”

“Who’s Freya?” Landon asked. “Don’t tell me it’s another evil ex-girlfriend? Penelope was bad enough. Does Josie have a type? Oh, God. I’m not Josie’s type.”

Lizzie grabbed Hope’s arm to siphon magic. _ “Silencio.”  _ That shut Landon up since he no longer had a mouth. Finally, some peace and quiet.

“She won’t remember you,” Lizzie told Hope. “It’s fine. We can just—”

Hope shook her head. “She has photos. You need to go in by yourself, Lizzie.”

Landon started making mumbling noises.

Lizzie rolled her eyes and undid the spell. “Hope’s right. We don’t know if Josie’s mad at you, Landon. I’m going in alone. I’ll figure out what’s going on and talk some sense into my sister.”

—

When Lizzie walked into the bar, some idiot tried to card her. She snapped at him that she was twenty-eight and kept walking. He didn’t stop her, whether it was because he believed her or he just didn’t want to mess with her she didn’t know nor care.

Josie was at the bar with Freya, several books spread between them. Lizzie didn’t waste any time. She marched up to them.

“Excuse me, I’d like to borrow my sister.” She dragged a stunned Josie over to a corner table.

“Why are you here?” Josie demanded, glaring at her.

“You disappeared last night and Landon was worried about you.”

Josie jutted her chin. “I told both of you I was going to Richmond.”

“Yeah, well, you weren’t answering Landon’s calls and he got worried. So we did a location spell and found out you weren’t in fact going to Richmond.”

“You guys followed me here?” Her voice lowered. “Is Dad here too?”

Lizzie shook her head. “He wouldn’t have driven us here. Though since you took the only car, we sort of borrowed Dad’s.”

Josie blushed. “I thought about taking the bus, but that would have been too slow. Not like you would have come with me anyways. You’re too busy with your new girlfriend.”

“You seem particularly snappy today, Josie. What’s going on? Why did you come all the way to New Orleans? Is something wrong?”

“You really have to ask?”

Lizzie rolled her eyes. “Oh, come on, this isn’t still about the Hope thing, is it? You just need to deal with it. She’s not awful like you think she is.”

“But she did want to steal my boyfriend. She was dating him before she jumped into Malivore. I know, Lizzie. I know everything.”

Lizzie studied her sister, trying to figure out what “everything” could mean. Had she found a way to remember Hope too? “What exactly do you know?” she asked cautiously. Hope would never forgive her if she gave up her secret by accident.

Josie placed a journal onto the table. It had Penelope Park’s name scrawled across the top, along with an ‘incendia’ sticker. “Yesterday after our fight, I went back to my room and did some rage cleaning. I found Penelope’s diary under my bed. It records everything written with those pens she gave out. The one you used to write about remembering Hope and all your obsessive thoughts about her since then.”

Oh. Lizzie felt her face turn bright red. She’d written quite a lot about Hope. How much had Josie read? All of it? “When I said Hope looked like a goddess when she was wrapped in my bed sheets, I just meant that she…”

“That’s not the part I’m concerned about.” Josie opened the book to a page and pointed to a line.

_ I’ll never tell Josie who Hope really is. Not only will it turn her into a jealous mess because of Landon, but if she somehow gets her memories back, she’ll remember she wanted to date Hope, and then where will I be? _

Josie slammed the book shut. “Seriously,  how selfish can you be?”

“It wasn’t just because of that. Hope asked me not to tell you. I was just respecting her wishes. You should have talked to me instead of running off to New Orleans to deal with everything on your own yet again. When are you going to remember that we’re a team?”

“We haven’t been a team in a long time. So tell me, Lizzie, why are you trying to take Hope from me? What was I to her?”

“Friends. You were just friends. You had a crush on her when we were like twelve. It didn’t go anywhere, and you haven’t gone after all her all these years. I don’t think you like her anymore, but what do I know? You hardly tell me anything about your crushes.”

Josie sat back, her shoulders relaxing. “So you weren’t trying to steal her from me?”

“No, of course not. If anything, I’m helping you. I’m dating Hope now so you can have Landon all to yourself. He makes you happy, doesn’t he?”

Josie looked hesitant for a moment. “Yeah, of course. Landon’s great. He really gets me.”

“But?” Lizzie prodded.

“But it won’t last. As soon as he remembers Hope, he’ll want to go back to her. Even if you’re dating her. He’ll still choose her over me, and I won’t be able to stay with him knowing I’m just the consolation prize.”

“You’re assuming Hope would choose me over Landon.”

“Of course she would,” Josie said. “I read your diary, remember? And there are entries in there from Hope too. She likes you, Lizzie. A whole lot. Just keep doing what you’re doing with her.”

“You’re okay with us dating now?”

“I don’t know, but I’ve got to admit, it is nice to see you happy.”

Lizzie sighed. “I don’t think it’s going to last either. I don’t ever get to be happy. My last relationship, if I can even call it that, was with a homicidal vampire who just wanted to use me to awaken himself from desiccation. Not the best confidence boost. Anyways, enough about Hope, what are you doing in New Orleans?”

“That spell I did to get rid of the oni. Freya’s been helping me reverse-engineer it. It’s definitely the spell that unlocked your memories. I needed a Mikaelson witch to help me figure it out.”

“What are you going to do with the spell?” Lizzie asked, worried. Hope had said she didn’t want everyone to know right away.

“I don’t know yet,” Josie said. “I can either give everyone back their Malivore memories, or I can destroy those memories for good. If I did that, you’d be the only person who remembered who Hope really was. Is that what you want, Lizzie?”

“No, of course not. But it’s not about what I want. Or even what you want. We should ask Hope about this before we do anything. She should have the final say on if people remember her or not.”

“Well, I can ask her when we get back to Mystic Falls.”

“Actually, you can ask her right now.” Lizzie smiled apologetically. “She’s in the car waiting. She drove.”

Josie glanced over at the bar, and her eyes went wide. She stood up and ran to the door.

“Josie, what are you—”

They walked outside to find Freya had cornered Hope in the alleyway. Lizzie tried to think of a spell to use, but before she had the chance, Josie siphoned magic from the book in her arms and held her hand out, chanting in Japanese.

Freya was flung onto the alley floor, knocking over Hope. Lizzie ran to make sure Hope was all right. She helped her to her feet.

“I guess I should have parked a little further away,” Hope said as she brushed dirt off her clothes. “I didn’t expect Freya to come here demanding to know who I was.”

“She’ll be all right when she wakes up. Right, Josie?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t tried the spell since we reverse-engineered it,” she said.

“So you might have erased all her memories of Hope for good?” Lizzie asked, panicked. She definitely didn’t want Hope to lose that important family connection.

“We’ll just have to wait and see,” Josie said. “How long do you think it’ll take for her to wake up?”

“It was only about a minute when you and Lizzie passed out after the oni possessed Lizzie,” Hope said.

Freya gasped and sat up. She put a hand to her head, looking dazed. At last she looked up at them, and her gaze fell on Hope. Tears ran down her cheeks. She ran to Hope and pulled her into an embrace. “Hope,  how could I forget you?”

“It’s okay, Aunt Freya. Everyone forgot me when I jumped into Malivore.”

Freya kissed the top of her head. “I knew you must be someone important. I’m sorry that I cornered you like that. I wasn’t going to attack you. I just wanted to ask you some questions.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

Lizzie smiled at them, pleased with this reunion. Hope had her family again, and Josie’s spell had worked. They could give the memories back to whoever Hope wanted. And Josie herself could get her memories back, and she’d finally see that Hope wasn’t evil and remember how they were all friends. Everything was going to be just fine.

“Hope Mikaelson.”

They whirled around to see Landon standing there. His hands were balled into fists at his side. “You came back, and you never told me.”

Hope looked totally caught off guard. “Landon, I—”

“Save it,” Landon said, furious. “You jumped into that pit to sacrifice yourself without a thought for how it would affect the rest of us. I can forgive you for that because of the whole ‘saving the world’ thing. What I don’t understand is why you didn’t come straight to the Salvatore school when you got back to let us know who you were.”

Okay, Landon was being so unfair. Lizzie couldn’t believe he was getting angry at Hope like this. He wasn’t even giving her a chance to explain.

“I tried, but I…” Hope was crying now, wiping furiously at the tears.

“Instead you lied to all of us. How could you do that, Hope?”

Lizzie had enough of this. If Landon thought he could just say all this to make Hope cry, he had another thing coming to him. Lizzie grabbed Hope’s shoulder and held out her hand toward Landon, stopping his heart.

Landon fell to the ground, dead.

Freya gasped.  “Did you just kill him?”

“It’s okay. He’s a phoenix. He’ll be fine,” Lizzie said, tossing her hair over her shoulder. “Uh, you’re welcome.”

Hope let out a soft laugh. “A sleeping spell would have sufficed.”

Lizzie shrugged. “Go big or go home and all that.”

“When he resurrects, I can do the spell on him again,” Josie said. “I can make him forget about you, Hope. Erase the memories for good.  It’s not too late.”

“No,” Hope said, shaking her head. “We can’t erase Landon’s Malivore memories.”

“Why not? It’ll just be more painful for him if he remembers that you were in love. What if he wants to win you back? You’ll just end up breaking Lizzie’s heart.” She glanced at Lizzie apologetically.

“He won’t,” Hope assured her. “Landon is completely in love with you now. You’ve dated him a lot longer than I did. He’s over me.”

Lizzie didn’t think that was true though. She’d seen the way Landon looked at Hope once he learned she was dating Lizzie.

“Besides,” Hope said, “I’m not the only person he forgot. He got to meet his mother, and she threw herself into Malivore so he’d forget her. I want him to be able to keep those memories of her. She might have been disappointing, but she was still his mother.”

“Why don’t you all come to my place for lunch?” Freya said. “Some food after a long drive. And you can catch me up on all this Malivore stuff. How long will it take for your friend to, uh, resurrect?”

“A couple hours usually,” Lizzie said. “But you’ll need to put him in a bathtub or something. He resurrects in a burst of flames.”

Freya laughed. “You know, that’s not the strangest thing I’ve heard. So what do you say, girls? Hope?”

Hope gave her a warm smile. “Of course we’d love to come over.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More memories unlocked this chapter! Don't worry. There is still some drama and excitement ahead for these girls. Congrats @strngerdiaries for being spot on about who Josie was going to see!
> 
> Any predictions for next chapter?


End file.
